2010 Boisseau

Palate

Broad, warm and rich with significant tannin grip on the finish.

Aromas

Very ripe to slightly jammy plum and fig-hints of torrefaction from new french oak barrels.

Food Pairings

Ribeye steak on the grill; barbecued anything.

Vineyard

Boisseau Vineyard, Warren Co. is located on a bluff above Front Royal in the Shenandoah Valley at an elevation of 600 feet. The vineyard is west facing on light, deep, well drained loam soils. The vines were planted in 2000 and are trained on cordon/VSP trellising.

Vintage

Very hot dry conditions that were to be the hallmark of the entire growing season began in April. Bud break was two weeks early.Flowering was almost three weeks early with hot dry conditions continuing. Fruit set was good in all varieties with the occasional exception of Merlot, which had very scraggly, loose clusters in some blocks.

Dry conditions reduced shoot growth so only one light hedging was needed. Leaf pulling was kept to a minimum to avoid excess sun and heat on the clusters. Weed control and mowing was more meticulous than usual in order to reduce water competition with the vines. Fungicide sprays were minimal and terminated in July. A few critical rains in August prevented the vines from serious drought stress, but some of the young vines struggled to fill the canopy and started to yellow their basal leaves.

The red grapes ripened fully. The biggest concerns were over-ripeness and excessive alcohols. Skin tannins took a while to ripen, so we had to look at the trade off of ripe tannins vs. over mature flavors and high sugars. Seeds were very ripe. Merlot was the trickiest with potential alcohols of over 15% in some blocks. Red harvest at Boisseau was complete by the end of September.

Winemaking

65% Cabernet Sauvignon & 35% Merlot.

Red WinesJim Law