Vineyard: The grapes for Hanna’s 2016 Alexander Valley Alchimie were grown on our Red Ranch in Alexander Valley. The property is bisected by Hoot Owl Creek. Below Hoot Owl Creek this benchland ranch is planted on Clough Series gravelly loam soil. Above Hoot Owl it planted on Laughlin Series Sandy Loam. These are soils of 2-foot depth and less.  The vineyard is planted to 50 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 acres of Malbec, two acres of Petit Verdot, and just over a half acre of Saint Macaire. The Cabernet is planted to clones 7, 2 and 6. The Malbec is clone 9, the Petit Verdot is clone 400, and the Saint Macaire is a field selection. 

Vintage 2016: Following adequate winter rains, the 2016 growing season began early again as the trend toward warmer winters continues. There was almost no frost pressure and the season progressed without significant weather worries. A single heat spike in July was short lived. This was followed by a glorious, easy ripening August and September that allowed the grapes to hang until late September into mid-October.

Winemaking: We hand-harvested in the cool hours from midnight to sunrise. The grapes were sorted, destemmed and partially crushed to stainless steel fermentation tanks. 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 wines were blended in the February 2018 and aged in 60-gallon French and Hungarian oak barrels from Remond, Boutes, Demptos and Trust.

Reserve Status: We regularly taste through our lots of Alexander Valley Bordeaux reds—Cab, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Exceptional lots and barrels are designated as potential blending components for our Reserve wines. Criteria are intensity of fruit, complexity, suppleness, color and potential for longevity.

Tasting Notes: Saturated purple. Tree ripened black plum, cocoa and savory, spicy notes mingle in aromas that gain in intensity with glass time. Flavors add dimension with  layers of graphite, Bing cherry and Boysenberry and butter mint. Texturally, the Alchimie is concentrated, plump and plush, with very fine tannins. (Tasted 2-8-19)