The grapes were carefully harvested and destemmed, then transferred to
upright tanks for a two- to three-day cold soak. The must was pumped
over up to three times a day. The Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot lots
were racked and returned to soften their tannins. We tasted each lot
daily to determine the optimal drainage time, which led to some
extended maceration for the Cabernet. The lots were evaluated
separately as they aged, then combined and aged further to coalesce.
Total aging was 18 months in a mix of French and American oak
barrels (30% new, 70% used) with medium to heavy toast.