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This wine is only available by allocation.
2021 Immortal Slope
On first opening the wine reveals aromas of jasmine tea and grilled nectarine, followed by blackberry, black cherry and graham cracker. On the palate intense the layered black fruit is framed by cinnamon stick, sweet clove, and cigar box. Rich and deep, the wine is beautifully balanced, supple, and ends with dusty tannins and black tea. Powerful and dense, the wine is enjoyable now with decanting and will evolve for decades.
Variety: 99% Cabernet Sauvignon 1% Petit Verdot
Vineyard: Immortal Estate Vineyard
Harvest: October 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Bottling date: 7/1/24-7/3/24
Production: 2,500 cases, 420 magnums
Viticultural Season
The 2021 vintage was a year of moderate weather: a long, even growing season with few heat spikes or other extreme events. The new year began mild and dry as we headed into our second drought year in a row. We’ve observed in that with a very dry winter, applying water prior to budbreak promotes uniform vineyard growth and development, and overall vine health throughout the year. We began irrigation in February, making several applications ahead of the early March bud break. Early budbreak exposes the growing shoots to increased spring frost risk during March and April, as well as inclement weather during flowering, which can reduce fruit set. A mild season and the protection provided by steep slopes let us avoid and real frost damage, but set was slightly light, giving us medium weight open clusters, not great for yields but excellent for quality. The year progressed mild and warm, with a few modest heat waves, and a long, stable weather pattern extending into October. After the tumult of prior vintages, an early harvest without natural incident felt like a gift from nature. We picked the vineyard over five days at the beginning of October, selecting each section at the peak of ripeness, and completed nearly two weeks ahead of normal.
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard blocks were selected for harvest by taste, selecting subsections of rows for any harvest day. The vineyard was harvested into nine lots over eleven days, responding to the varying development of different aspects, elevations and rootstocks. Hand harvested and meticulously sorted, the fruit was allowed to cold soak prior to fermentation and further post fermentation maceration on the skins for a total of 28 to 38 days depending on the lot. Fermentations begin naturally, and after a few days of cold soak took roughly two weeks to complete with daily pumpovers or delestage, then less movement and air during extended maceration. The wines were gently pressed to 75% new french oak where they underwent malolactic fermentation. Individual barrels from select lots were blended for the final cuvée. These wines were racked a total of three times during èlevage and bottled unfiltered in July of 2024.
