Last night we were up in Napa pressing the last of our wine for the year. Hayley turned out extraordinarily delicate. The free-run and press wine had a brilliant ultraviolet color and I think it’s going to turn out to be very light colored. Initial measurements showed we had the same pH as La Encantada (3.39), but alcohol levels only at 12.92 %. The alcohol level will go up a bit as the wine ages as some evaporation occurs, but it’s definitely an indication that 2010 is going to be all about finesse.
The vineyard is farmed organic, which means they don’t use copper sprays, and this resulted in a tiny hint of H2S when tasting the free-run. A little oxygenation blew it off quickly revealing light, bright raspberry and strawberry aromas, but with a lovely earthy undertone.
Both the La Encantada and Hayley are in 1-year old barrels, so oak influence is going to be very restrained which will allow these young wines to really shine.
Cheers! ~Brian