Our 2020 Merlot is mostly estate-grown–Estate Caywood Vineyard & Estate Davis Vineyard–with a little help from friends and partner growers at Sunrise Hill Vineyard on Cayuga Lake.
Winemaking
• 100% Merlot
• Vineyard locations: East side of Seneca Lake and west side of Cayuga Lake
• Soils: Howard and Lansing gravelly silt loams, Honeoye silt loam & Lima silt loam
• Harvested October 3rd
• Aged 9 months, 8 on lees, in neutral French oak barrels with biweekly bâtonnage for first 4 months
• Unfined & unfiltered
• Vegan
• Certified New York Sustainable Winegrowing
• Brix: 22.0°–23.5° │ pH: 3.55 │ TA: 6.0 g/L │ RS: 0.00 │ ABV: 14.3
• Bottled: 8/26/2021
• Cases Produced: 5
2020 Vintage Notes
2020 was a winemaker's dream, a vintage of idyllic growing conditions in the Finger Lakes. Expect to see extremely high quality wines that show concentration, complexity, silky tannins, and the varietal specificity for which we are known. During the growing season we experienced gorgeous warm days and heat in timely doses. The heat produced the right amount of moisture stress (read lack of rain) to keep the fruit slightly dehydrated and the consequent flavor development of the skins and pulp lent a complexity to the juices that are playing out in the wines. Our winemakers, Phil and Lauren, crafted truly remarkable wines that will show well early, but will have the depth of character to age gracefully.
