Barefoot Pinot Noir

The 2010 vintage will be long remembered as a uniquely demanding year. Mother Nature was capricious and challenging in presenting us with tremendous variability – unseasonably cold days, untimely rainfall, and surprisingly sunny and hot days. While colder than normal, the leaves were able to produce the needed sugar, while the grape berries developed lovely and complex flavor and aroma components. Bud break and flowering were eight days later than the 5-year average. Unexpectedly high temperatures in late August and September allowed the vines to finish the growing season very well. Having left the sufficient number of leaves on the vines so as to have a full canopy, our grapes avoided possible sunburn from this late season heat. The success of the 2010 harvest was assured when we correctly assessed the early maturity of the grapes and had the confidence to pick at the first sight of ripeness. Harvest began on September 23 and succinctly concluded thirty-one days later on October 23.

Aromas of fresh blackberry, rose petals, chocolate and espresso accentuate a profound tapestry of fruity and earthy nuances. Round velvety tannins enrobe a silky texture with a slight touch of minerality. The flavors of dark fruit are enhanced by the well-integrated acidity. The acidity and tannin structure promise a very long life ahead for this wine.

Varietal : Cabernet Sauvignon 84%, Merlot 5.5%, Cabernet Franc 5.5%, Petit Verdot 4% and Malbec 1%

Bordeaux AOC, France

Aromatic to the nose with notes of buttery-vanillin oak flavours and exotic fruit (orange rind and honeyed grapefruit).  On the palate, the wine is round, fleshy with wonderful minerality and again, delightful exotic fruit flavours.  The new-oak flavours are present. Very nice balance between the oak, fruit and acidity.  Excellent finish.

100% Sauvignon Blanc. Harvest is done 100% by hand. Following a skin-contact maceration, 75% of the juice is fermented in vats and 25% in oak-barrels. During this ageing period, “batonnage” is carried out.  After blending and filtration, bottling is carried out in late spring following the harvest.