2020 Malbec
Tasting Notes
Our 2020 Malbec captivates the senses with a black ink-like color, exotic aromas of elderberry and blackberry, and secondary flavors of juniper berry, black truffles, and a touch of white pepper. Remarkably smooth, balanced, and elegant on the palate, this wine finishes with lingering flavors that accentuate its beautiful French oak aging. Enjoy now through 2032 with optimal maturity around 2029.
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown
Vintage Notes
The 2020 vintage will go down as a very memorable year. The growing season was exceptional with a mild winter, warm spring, and moderate summer. Just as we were preparing for an early start to harvest, wildfires in the Northwest created a thick cloud of smoke over Washington State. Taking a cautious approach, we delayed harvest until the smoke cleared and conducted trials to determine the effect of smoke on our grapes. Fortunately, the results showed no sign of smoke taint. Proximity to the source of smoke plays a big factor, and our vineyard was a long distance away. Overall, we have not seen any impact of smoke on the 2020 vintage. Another major event of this vintage was an early frost that occurred the second week of October. Our winemaking team worked tirelessly long hours leading up to the frost. By the time our vineyards had been impacted by the cold spell, our winery was stuffed with fermenting grapes and harvest was 95% complete. All remaining grapes were then hand-harvested and sorted with an optical sorter. Despite the obstacles we encountered, we were able to produce another stunning vintage. The 2020 wines showcase an abundance of ripe fruit aromatics, low tannin profiles, and exceptionally balanced finishes.
Winemaking Notes
Our 2020 Malbec comes from the Reserve Tier blocks of our Estate Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. We carefully select these blocks and crop them to smaller yields to obtain more ripeness and concentrated flavors. Harvested towards the end of October at optimal maturity the grapes were sent directly to a small fermenter and cold soaked for 48 hours before inoculating with a specific yeast strain for alcoholic fermentation. Our extraction protocol was balanced between aerated pump-overs and gentle punch downs to extract the complex flavors from our Malbec while maintaining gentle tannin extraction that balances with the wine’s natural acidity. Fermented on the skins for 16 days, the grapes were then sent to the press for a gentle pressing before being sent to exclusive French Oak barrels made in Chile` for aging. During the first 2 months of aging, the wines lees were stirred back into the wine twice per month. This process gives the wine a rounder mouthfeel while naturally softening the wine. The wine was aged in 40% New French oak and 60% 2-3-year-old French oak for 20 months.
Food Pairing
Cuban-Styled Lechon Asado (Roasted Pork)
Garlic & Jalapeno Bison Burger
Swordfish Steak with Mango-chutney
Shropshire Blue Cheese or Manchego
- Varietal Composition: Malbec
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Cases Produced: 300
- Alcohol: 14.4%
- pH: 3.79
- Acidity: 6.0 g/L
- Ageability: Enjoy now through 2029 (with optimal maturity around 2032)