2018 Malbec, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Red Hills of Lake County

Tasting Notes
This is a deeply saturated and super concentrated wine.  Aromas of ripe cut peach and violets mingle with the spice and caramelization of unsmoked cigar.  Fresh leather and cracked white pepper details poke out around the edges.  Finely grained dusty tannins provide medium grip and intensify the flavors into a super smooth finish.  A dark, bold, and exotic expression of Malbec – Cheers!

Winemaking Notes
Andy Beckstoffer’s Amber Knolls Vineyard is an incredible place in the Red Hills of Lake County.  Farmed to the same exacting standards he uses in Napa Valley, this Malbec is extremely expressive of varietal and place.  And a special place it is – Near the historic eruption site of Mt Knoctai, Amber Knolls Ranch sports red volcanic soils studded with sparkling obsidian rocks and boulders; leftover black glass from the intense heat of the volcano.  In the spirit of embracing terroir and extracting the most from the site, I hauled one of the obsidian boulders from the vineyard to the winery, set it in the bottom of the fermentation tank, and crushed grapes over it to ferment and extract every bit of flavor from the vineyard.