Sonoma County

Full

Natural Cork

Beautifully high-toned aromatics of black and red currants, white pepper, tobacco spices, and walnut husks with a lovely potpourri of dried red florals and cocoa nibs nuances. This is wonderfully layered on the palate with silky sweet red currants, black cherry, spiced plums, tobacco and cigar box, and a capsicum note. Perfectly integrated fine-grained tannins are seamless with a mocha-tinged quality. The long finish reveals a medium to full-bodied wine with a refreshing orange citrus acid finish underscored by tremendously loamy rich earth with sweetness, perhaps from the lees ageing. The first vintage of Garden Creek's Tesserae Red was in 2001. This 2016 release combines 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc with 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot. The estate is 100 acres in total, with 72 acres planted to vine. Of that, about 30 are Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5 acres of Petit Verdot, 12 acres of Merlot, and an acre of Cabernet Franc and Malbec each. Lots are kept separate, native fermentations are done in two-ton stainless steel vats, with a few lots going into concrete. Ferments last 9 days on average, and then the wine is aged in 50% new French barriques for 20 months. Bottled and cellared for 8 years prior to release (the longest they've held a current release). The winery lost its 2017 Tesserae Red and half of 2019 and all of 2020 due to fires. They have produced 2021, 2022, and 2023; gaps will be filled with re-releases. They decide on the final Cabernet blend about halfway through ageing, and then the rest of the components are blended two months before bottling. The wine is aged on the gross lees with stirring a couple of times a month (18-20 months on gross lees for reds), and because they cellar at 55-54 degrees, that cold stabilisation allows them to rack off the lees before bottling.

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Garden Creek Vineyards, Tesserae Red Wine, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, California, USA, 2016

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Beautifully high-toned aromatics of black and red currants, white pepper, tobacco spices, and walnut husks with a lovely potpour

Garden Creek Vineyards, Tesserae Red Wine, Sonoma County, California, USA 2016

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