Venge Scouts Honor Red Blend

Description

”The 2017 vintage of this wine is perhaps our finest effort to date. This delicious red blend honors our late and beloved Labrador Retriever, Scout. This wine is based on a tradition of producing a full bodied and delicious red wine. We start with a base of old-vine Zinfandel and build upon that with dry-farmed Petite Sirah, old-vine Charbono, and finish with mountain vineyard Syrah. The result is an unpretentious red wine that is ready to enjoy upon release. This vintage has a gorgeous, concentrated assemblage of sweet honeysuckle, crushed blue herbs, aromas of violets, anise, and a touch of vanillin. On the palate is pure richness from the old-vine Zinfandel with loads of super ripe black fruits and currants, pepper spice, and an enveloping masculinity of char and tannins from the Syrah, Charbono and Petite Sirah. A seamless balance and mouth coating deliciousness are found throughout the palate, with an extra long finish that is quite pleasing to the senses.2017 Scouts Honor is certainly a generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release. Cellared correctly it will age for 5 to 8 years.IN THE VINEYARD Harvest was early due to a steady growing season, taking place between September 20th and October 1st, with an average Brix of 27.8 degrees. Grapes were farmed and harvested from four single vineyards in Napa Valley. The Zinfandel was picked from two, old-vine 60 to 100+ years old, dry-farmed vineyard sources Venges newly acquired Signal Fire Vineyard estate, and the Frediani Vineyardboth located in the heart of Calistoga. The Charbono is from old, dry-farmed vines 60 to 100+ years old also planted in the Frediani Vineyard. Long family friends, Joan and Will Nord,Yountville and a little over 10 acres are dedicated to Petite Sirahwe love this site. And, legendary grower, Jan Krupp, farms some of Napas finest Syrah on his Stagecoach Vineyard, high in the mountains of the Atlas Peak AVA to complete the blend.IN THE CELLAR The small, individual lots of fruit were destemmed into a combination of stainless steel tanks and open top fermenters, where whole-berry fermentation took place for an average of 20 days. The wine was barrel aged for 14 months in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once used tight grain French Oak. No conventional pumps were used in the making of this wine. Only diaphragm air pumps, forced air pressure movement, or bulldogging, and transfers by gravity were employed to preserve the pure fruit integrity in the wine.” – Venge Vineyards