Unti Vineyards Sangiovese Dry Creek Valley 2004

Winemaker's Notes:

VARIETAL & VINEYARD: Our grapes come from a small section within our steep terraced hillside Sangiovese vineyard planted in 1992. Over the years we have noticed that this east-facing section produces the most concentrated wine. It is Sangiovese Grosso, which is the clone used for making Brunello di Montalcino—arguably the world’s most powerful and complex examples of this native Tuscan varietal. We routinely drop crop in this vineyard to help facilitate structure and complexity. VINTAGE/HARVEST: The 2004 vintage was a tricky one for us. An early bud-break, combined with no-fog mornings from mid-August to mid-September caused severe dehydration of the grapes. Despite these conditions, we patiently waited until the flavors were at maximum flavor ripeness which is essential to making full-bodied varietal Sangiovese wine. Harvest began on September 10th. The ripe nature of the fruit resulted in a wine with lower than normal acidity. VINIFICATION: We use standard modern fermentation techniques—after destemming and light crushing, the Sangiovese receives a five-day cold soak. The tank is then heated to allow fermentation to begin spontaneously with indigenous yeast. We punch down or pump over the must twice daily during fermentation. To preserve Sangiovese’s delicate fruity quality, we try to handle it as little as possible. It was racked only once during its life in French Oak barrels; 35% new. Harvested: :9/10/04 though 9/13/04 Blend: 100% Sangiovese Total Acidity: 0.57g/100ml Alcohol: 14.6% pH: 3.68 Bottled: 8/31/05 Aging: 11 months in French Oak, 35% new Cases Produced: 549