WINEMAKER'S NOTES

Updated Notes from the Library:

My favorite vintages in my career to date are 2005 and 2010. Both were characterized by incredible density, low alcohol, and perfect balance. This wine has opened up beautifully and is showing everything I hoped it would when we made it. I’ll remember this vintage for the rest of my life.   

Original Notes Upon Release:

Intoxicating aromas of cinnamon, dried flowers, baking spices, and blackberry purée. Not as immediately sexy and appealing as the voluptuous 2009, but exhibiting all of the same characteristics of Figgins Estate Vineyard with more classic structured backbone and long term attractiveness. 2010, along with 2005, is the highlight of my career so far. This is one to pop a bottle now, then lay down for decades of enjoyment as she develops bottle bouquet. I cannot imagine a more perfect vintage to exhibit what I am trying to achieve with this single vineyard bottling. I hope you will agree that this vintage shows amazing purity of fruit and aromatics, balanced by the structure and acidity of a cool vintage, with an immaculate finish to both the weather and the wine.

VINTAGE NOTES

If there is a vintage that vintners will forever dream about, it is 2010. Some years, things come easily. 2010 was not one of those. The season ticks along and fruit gets ripe. As I’ve matured as a vintner, I’ve learned that the finest of years are the nail-biters - the stress cases - the sleepless night vintages - the “I just missed Elk Camp this vintage is so stinkin’ late” years. Such was 2010. Spring just didn’t want to come. When it did, it was late, wet, and hesitant. Summer finally broke, but maturity was three weeks late throughout the course of the season. Thankfully, autumn was its usual, dry, warm, dependable self and saved, no make that MADE, the vintage of my life. Due to awful weather at bloom time, yields were ridiculously light, averaging 1.6 tons per acre, barely half our normal. When we finally began picking, I realized my hopes far outweighed my fears, and the fruit we did pick was unbelievably concentrated, balanced, and PERFECT! This is the vintage of my life thus far - it’s only true peers ’05 and ’98.

To view a full PDF of the 2010 Estate Red Wine technical information, please click here