Clos du Bois - Sonoma Reserve Merlot | Californian Red Wine

VINEYARDS:
The fruit used to craft this wine comes from premium vineyards in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The grapes were harvested between September 10 and October 7, at an average of 24.6° Brix. The 2015 growing season started with an earlier-than-normal bud break. Most of the rainfall occurred at the beginning of the rainy season and was followed by a series of late-season storms. These storms recharged the field capacity and reservoirs providing ample water for most of the growing season. Short but intense hot spells followed by cooling periods during early ripening propelled sugars close to optimum levels. The early bud break and resulting longer growing season allowed the grapes plenty of time to achieve color and flavor of the highest quality.

WINEMAKING:
Grapes were destemmed, but not crushed, to stainless steel fermenters and the juice pumped over the skins three times per day for eight days until dry. Lots were then pressed off to barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. At the end of malolactic fermentation, individual barrel lots were racked off lees and then the wine was returned to barrels for further aging. Individual lots were racked, blended, and returned to barrel. This wine was aged for 21 months total in a mix of French and Eastern European oak barrels (52% new). The wine was then racked out of barrels in July 2017 for bottling.