Overview

91 Points - Wine Enthusiast

• Rich and engaging
• Full bodied, style and substance, a real class act (maybe a little brooding?)

This wine is from an amazing vineyard in California's Shenandoah Valley near Plymouth in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The grower's name is Jim Chapman and the vineyard is named for his wife Lani. We have made wine from this vineyard for 15 years and this one might become the most spectacular one yet.

The vineyards' altitude is 1,800' above sea level, the soil is primarily decomposed granite held in place by strong, sturdy boulders. The land isn't suitable for practically anything other than grapevines or a few scrawny cattle. It's part of a natural amphitheater with steep slopes averaging 25 degrees facing toward the northwest.

The grapes were harvested by hand, then sorted extensively and lightly crushed. After a four day cold-soak, fermentation was initiated and proceeded in textbook fashion. The new wine was lightly pressed and allowed to settle before being racked into barrels.

VINEYARD

• Lani's Vineyard, California Shenandoah Valley
• Planted: 1999 - single cordon trellised low to ground, drip irrigated as needed.
• Soil profile: Sierra Very Rocky Loam

HARVEST

• September 20, 2014

FERMENTATION

• Sixteen day fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel and open bins
• RP15 and CLOS cultivated yeast strains

ELEVAGE

• Nineteen months, 60% new French oak barrels - François Fréres, Sansaud and Jarnac
• Malolactic fermentation in barrel
• Racked three times
• 15.5% ABV - pH 3.65 - TA 6.27 g/L - RS 0.8 g/L

265 CASES PRODUCED - DRINK 2017 to 2030