Complex aromas of black tea, smoke, black cherry, plum, and wood introduce this wine. The flavors are bigger and fresher-fruited than the nose suggests. Black and red cherries are both there, along with red currants, and touches of earth and stone on the finish.
T. Edward Wines, an East-Coast distributor, carries a number of California offerings in its portfolio. Working together with growers in Napa and winemaker Jorge Riccitelli, the collaboration created a line of premium wines. The project was very successful, prompting the creation of a second tier, Lockhart Cellars. Grapes for these wines come from Napa and Sonoma county growers as well as from Monterey and Paso Robles. Both lines are straightforward and food friendly, and the wine is made with little intervention in the cellar. Grapes for this bottling come from 20+-uear-old-vines grown sustainably on sandy-loam soils. Vinted and bottled at Norton Ridge, the fruit is fermented slow and cool in both stainless steel and barrel and aged six months in French oak, 40% new. It is bottled lightly fined and filtered.
Charcuterie, Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Fish-full flavored (salmon/tuna), Ham, Hors d'oeuvres, Just for Cocktailing, Mushrooms, Pork, Roasted Root Vegetables, Vegetables