Sangiovese 17

2017 OBELISCO Sangiovese

AVA:Red Mountain

Winemakers:Ken Abbott, Betsy Long

Blend:76% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet, 6% Malbec 

Vineyards:Obelisco Estate and End of the Road vineyard on Red Mt.

Bottling:422 cases 750ml

Alcohol:14.85% vol.

Barrels:30% new oak; 100% French

Tasting Notes:Dark magenta and boysenberry color. Pleasant raspberry, vanilla and clove spice percolate on the nose with hints of fresh air akin to rain and wild berries.  This Super Tuscan style of wine dances onto the palate with an immediate silkiness and lightness that sparkles its’ bright fruit, cola flavors, clove-spice and smoky nutmeg-like notes across the tongue. A seemingly medium-bodied wine descends to darker fruit and heavier spice to give a zing to the back of the palate, leaving a tail of fruit, floral notes and spice to finish.  In summary, you start with an “ooooh”, and end with an “aahh” that lasts for awhile with subtly changing flavors. There is no mistake you just had a Super Tuscan wine from Obelisco.

The impactful but surprisingly lush flavor is housed in a smooth mouth-feel throughout and all the way to the strong finish.

Cellaring:Because it is made from Red Mountain grapes this wine should age well for the next 8 to 10 years. This amazing blend, done in the style of a Super Tuscan, will drink well right away.

Production:All of the fruit of this wine comes from Red Mountain. The sangiovese comes from The End of the Road vineyard and the rest from Obelisco Estate. The high density planting of the Obelisco vineyard yields smaller berries, which contribute to the concentrated flavors, yet the fruit from this vineyard always makes wines with luxurious tannins and mouth feel. The End of the Rd vineyard is slightly higher elevation than Obelisco and is only a few hundred yards away. Combine this with 20 months in 30% new oak and you get a wine that invitingly combines great fruit and oak.

Harvest notes:2017 was a fairly balanced year weather wise.  Fruit matured quickly in the heat of the summer but then mellowed in the fall when the diurnal temperatures of the Red Mountain terroir fluctuate to colder at night.  This allows the grapes to “arrest” their development of sugars and slow the loss of acid, but allows the grapes to gain better flavor profiles with extra hang time. Like past years, the sugars developed quickly, but the slowing Fall season helped develop flavor. All in all a good year for vineyards.