2015 Hanna Malbec 750ml

Vineyard: Hanna’s 2015 Alexander Valley Malbec was grown on our Red Ranch in Alexander Valley. Below Hoot Owl Creek this bench land ranch is planted on Clough Series gravelly loam soil. Above Hoot Owl it planted on Laughlin Series Sandy Loam. These low vigor soils are only two feet deep.  The vineyard is planted to 45 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 acres of Malbec and five acres of Merlot. The Malbec is planted using in- row variable spacing.

Vintage 2015: The 2015 growing season was once again dry and odd. Late winter and early spring were hot. Late spring was cool and fruit set was poor. The peak summer months were moderate, resulting in steady ripening and good acid retention. Late summer heat pushed sugar accumulation because of the small crop. The grapes for the Malbec were harvested on October 1, at an average of 25.5 ^o Brix.

Winemaking: Grapes were hand-picked, destemmed and crushed. Very warm fermentations were used in conjunction with multiple pumpovers to fully extract the Malbec. Pressing was done “to taste”, based on daily tastings of the wines after pumpover. The newly pressed wines were racked to tank and allowed to settle before barreling. The blend was assembled in the winter of 2016, and the wine was aged on light lees in 80% new French and Hungarian barrels.

Tasting Notes: Our 2015 Malbec is deep purple in the glass and immediately dazzles with notes of blueberry, graphite, pomegranate molasses and a sun warmed mid-summer blackberry patch. It has flavors evocative of mixed basket fruit, baked persimmon and sweet smoke.  It is of moderate concentration, satiny and long, with tannins so polished as to make it’s savoring effortless. (Tasted 6/7/18).

Updated Tasting: We just tasted this one and the above is spot on! It was delicious. Reviewing the tasting notes gives some insight into why; low pH, lees aging, and though not mentioned in the notes, the use of saignée to increase the concentration of age worthy tannins. (Tasted 3/9/21)