• For a printer-friendly version of these notes, click here.
  

If you have problems downloading or printing this file, download the current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  It's free at:    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Winemaker Notes:

Our goal with this vineyard-designate program is to showcase the uniqueness of each of our vineyards. I like to describe Seven Hills as the feminine side of our wines:  finesse and elegance with a long and persistent finish. This polished and complex wine has a pretty perfume of blackberry liquor, dusty red berry fruit, earth and pencil lead. On the palate, the wine is supple with a lush texture and fine depth. We aged this wine for 18 months in 59% new French oak barrels.

- Jean-François Pellet, Winemaker

The 2005 Vintage

Mother Nature provided us with a classic wine-growing season. Bud break started around the third week in April, and very warm, sunny days filled the summer. We had plenty of heat units to fully ripen the grapes. Then the weather cooled off a little earlier than usual, dropping into the 80s around the end of August. This cooling-down period maximized flavor development. The wines from the 2005 vintage have terrific fruit intensity, show great natural acidity and are beautifully balanced. 
                                 

Wine Specifics:

Varietal(s):  61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot
Vineyard(s):  100% Seven Hills Vineyard
Appellation:   100% Walla Walla Valley
Oak Program:  100% French oak;  59% new oak, 41% used oak
Time in Barrels:  18 months
Harvest Date(s):  September 19 through October 3, 2005
Brix at Harvest:  25.2
Total Acidity:  0.56 g/ml
pH:  3.74
Finished Alcohol:  13.9% by volume
Total Production:  418 (9-liter cases)
Bottling Date:  April 14, 2007
Release Date:  December 1, 2007