Varietal
Malbec, one of the classic red Bordeaux grapes, is an early ripener that yields soft wines of low acidity, moderate tannins, good color and fruit flavors reminiscent of blueberries. Malbec’s popularity continues to grow as enthusiasts discover its lushness and age ability.

Vintage
Vintage 2002 started wet, even before the calendar said it was 2002 - we almost had our seasonal average of rain before the New Year – with January and February being unusually dry and typically cold. We had light rain at the end of March that slowed down budbreak but without causing any major problems. Unsettled weather through spring kept things interesting. More cool weather in May extended bloom, which could have caused uneven ripening. At the end of May we were about two weeks behind 2001. Veraison began in late July, later than average, but earlier than 1998 and 1999. Moving into the final stages of the growing season we were in pretty good shape considering that our summer had been fairly mild. 2002 was a vintage won in the vineyard, beginning shortly after budbreak with shoot thinning, and on through the season with crop thinning to balance the vines and eliminate any damaged or delayed fruit. This work by our growers allowed us to bring in ripe, uniform, high quality fruit with intense flavors and nice natural acid levels.

Vinification
The fruit was fermented in small, open top bins and punched down by hand while fruit from Rolling Knolls was fermented in a pumpover tank. The wines were pressed at dryness and then placed in a combination of 2 and 3 year old French oak barrels for 19 months. The final wine was blended and bottled in August of 2004. Alcohol 14.5%, TA .6, pH 3.87, Residual sugar .05.

Tasting Notes
This is a rich, fleshy Malbec, with flavors reminiscent of blueberry, spicy oak, rhubarb, and leather with a lengthy finish. Serve it with spaghetti alla Bolognese (spaghetti in tomato sauce with chicken livers), risotto with two cheeses, braised kidneys with mushrooms, roast duck, veal parmigiana (breaded cutlets, with Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce), and beef empanadas (pastry with beef and vegetable filling).

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