Rain proved as reluctant to fall during this growing season as it had the previous year: from January to March, the Territory received a little more than half its average precipitation for those combined months, though the spring remained cool, especially in May. This colder stretch subsided approaching mid-June, when temperatures peaked on June 17, tipping above 100 degrees. Summer nevertheless progressed mildly, though not without diurnal variation. Days vacillated between the 80s and low 90s, and the nights were cold, often 50 degrees or below. Late August and the first week of September saw the thermometer rise to the mid-90s, bringing many blocks to maturity and condensing the more typically measured pace of harvest. Picking began on August 26th and was completed on September 15th. Yields were modest, due in part to scarce groundwater, but the berries were small and concentrated. The 89 lots were divided among 61 separate fermentations.

Tasting Notes
The events of this temperately mild, dry season unite in a vintage distinguished by resolute tannins that encompass and enfold an inner suppleness. Youthful and, at first, almost introverted, the structure of the wine suggests a rosebud whose firm and tightly layered sheathing protects a darker, saturated core within. The initial aromas are gentle, cool, the texture seamlessly interwoven. Lucent acidity permeates the mid-palate and provides a counterbalance, introducing a certain levity as the wine softens and begins to open from its center. This progression unfolds perhaps more concentrically rather than rectilinearly, as dewy, velvety petals reveal the curvature of the entirety and its whorl of intricate details. Ample minerality carries through the finish, enlivening the impressive dimensions—as though all the complex intrinsics of the land have come together cohesively in what we perceive as a single, noble form.