2020 MEWS ESTATE RED

This is the first bottling of the new Chalk Hill vineyard, planted in 2018. By 2020, the fruit was coming in very nicely, so we bottled this, just the 3rd leafing of the the vineyard. The Cab Franc and Merlot came in faster than the Cabernet Sauvignon, so this 2020 blend will likely lean more towards the Merlot/Franc side. It is a stunning work of our winemaker, Chris Taddei, who took the fruit by the hand and brought it into a beautiful expression of this single vineyard Bordeaux Blend. The harvest was ripe, so the wine is big, but oh so approachable with long tannins and a beautiful structure to hold together the beautiful fruit.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES

The 2020 Mews Estate Red balances fruit and earth characteristics as only grapes from the Chalk Hill AVA can. This vintage is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Franc.

Harvested at a ripe 26 brix, the fruit was berry sorted, cold soaked, and saigneed for greater proportion of skins relative to juice for richer wine with more color and tannin. Aged 24 months on French and Hungarian oak, the result is a wine with firm yet forgiving tannins, providing a feel that is at once plush and well structured. Lovely dark fruits, a pleasing bit of tar, pencil lead, and lilac.