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Occasionally, we like to say as winemakers that we would gladly hit a repeat button on a great vintage—and while usually meant in jest, the 2019 vintage gave us just such an opportunity. The 2019 growing season was long and warm, with cool nights, which helped to set the vines up beautifully for an extended harvest season. A little extra heat at harvest compared with the previous year gave the 2019 wines an extra dose of power and tannin, but the wine still abounds in the famous Rutherford ‘Dust’ – defined for us by a synergy of herbs and black fruit, tension between the flavors, and a long finish reminiscent of rough velvet. This powerful and delicious vintage will be one for the ages, and will in time develop all of the hallmarks of a wine that reflects our home here in Rutherford. I recommend a healthy decant if you decide to open a bottle early, and please cellar a few more for the long haul. All lots were destemmed and crushed to tank, and most began fermentation on the strength of their native yeast. Fermentations lasted between 7 and 10 days, with open hose pumpovers performed three times daily to mix the skins and promote gentle extraction. Tannins were quite strong in 2019, and though most lots were still pressed at dryness. Natural malolactic fermentation completed in barrel. Five rackings were performed over the course of the wine’s 20 months of aging in French oak barrels.