TASTING NOTES:
“Impassable Mountain” is a dense, complex wine revealing aromas of cocoa, black currant, pipe tobacco and clove on the nose and smoke, fall leaf, cherry, blueberry and vanilla on the palate. Rich and powerful, the wine remains well balanced with a long mint and clove-laced finish. - Winery
VINEYARD:
2007 Hidden Ridge Vineyard “Impassable Mountain” Reserve is selected from our best barrels by our winemaking team Timothy Milos and Marco DiGiulio. “Impassable Mountain” harkens to the original name of the area that is home to Hidden Ridge Vineyard. Nineteenth-century surveyors were assigned to find a stagecoach route through the rugged terrain only to realize that it was, at the time, "impassable.” The Hidden Ridge Viney ard lies within an enclosed valley on steep (55% slope in some areas) mountainside slopes with east and south exposures. Lean soils and steep slopes naturally limit vine vigor and give remarkably small-berried fruit. Also, the extended growing day at moderate temperatures gives the fruit well‐developed tannins and a rich texture while preserving the complex fruit characters lost in warmer locations.
WINEMAKING:
After a four to seven-day cold soak, the fermentation lasted three to four weeks, and the new wines macerated on the skins for a total of 40 to 50 days depending on the lot, then pressed into 85% new French oak. Malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel by February. The wines were racked three times during the 18 months they were in barrel and bottled unfined and unfiltered in August of 2009.
FINISHED ALCOHOL: 14.9%
TOTAL ACIDITY: 0.55g/100ml
PH: 3.71
TOTAL PRODUCTION: 1035 cases
** SOLD OUT **
Glass-staining ruby. Potent, expansive aromas of black and blue fruit preserves, cola, vanilla and Indian spices, with a smoky overtone and a sexy floral overtone. Sweet, palate-coating cassis and blueberry flavors are braced by a bright minerality that focuses and lifts the spicy, outstandingly long and clinging finish. (JR) - Stephen Tanzer 92 Points