Meritage
VA - Virginia
Platinum, VA Savor Comp
Gold, ASW Competition
Full of rich red and black fruits with luscious acidity, this wine has an excellent balance with a touch of red pepper and cocoa nibs to the finish. Named after Katie & Katell who create this blend each year together. The two of them exponentially increasing each other's winemaking skills with every wine we make.
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WINEMAKING NOTES
K2 is a Bordeaux blend made from 27% grapes from Casanel Vineyards, but from 100% Virginia grapes. The blend consists of 40% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Carménère and 7% Petit Verdot. These different varietals were picked at different times to respect their individual ripeness time and were treated separately in tanks and in barrels until blending. After hand-harvesting and sorting in the vineyard, our grapes were gently transported in small lugs to the winery where they were destemmed, sorted again on a vibrating sorting table, then finally sent to stainless steel tank by gravity. After 2 to 4 days of cold maceration (again: depending on the varietal), the alcoholic fermentation was started and occurred around 75 to 80 degrees F. Pump-overs were done every day during the fermentation and also during the short warm post-maceration, that lasted about 2 to 3 weeks (again depending on the varietal – Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot both had a longer post-maceration). The different wines were then pressed and sent to barrels where the malolactic fermentation occurred rapidly. After racking from malolactic fermentation, these wines returned to barrels to be aged for 15 months entirely in French oak Bordeaux barrels (20% in new barrels, 20% in 1-year old barrel, 25% in 2-years old barrels & 25% in 3-years old barrels, 10% in 4-years old barrels). The final blending occurred at the beginning of March 2018. After a small fining, our wine was racked, filtered, and hand-bottled on our Estate.
TASTING & FOOD PAIRING NOTES
Black and Red fruits – luscious acidity – caramel toast – balance – youthful tannins – drinking temperature: 16-17 degree Celsius – best to decant in advance
Any type of protein – fatty meats (steak or beef) – can be enjoyed alone or with richer dishes (stews, soups, etc.) – sharp or strong cheese
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Vintage Year: 2016
Vineyard: 27% Casanel Vineyard – 27% Estate Appellation: Middleburg AVA (27%)
Vineyard: 40% Breaux Vineyards-Merlot Vineyard: 16.5% Cab Franc-North Gate Vineyard Vineyard: 16.5% Cab Franc Timberville Vineyard
Composition: 40% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot
Average Vine Age: Casanel = 8 – 9 years
Harvest Dates: Merlot: 10/6/16 – Cabernet Franc North Gate: 10/06/16 – Cabernet Franc Timberville: 9/26/16
Estate Harvest Dates: Carmenere: 9/28/16 – Cabernet Sauvignon: 10/19/16 – Petit Verdot: 10/19/16-10/20/16
Bottling Date: 03/13/18
Fermentation: Whole-berry in stainless steel
Yeast: FX 10 (all lots)
ML: 100%
pH: 3.68
Alcohol: 13% vol.
Residual Sugar: < 0.03 g/l in glucose-fructose
Aging: 100% French Oak - Wood Origin: Allier, Tronçais, Nevers, Vosges
New Oak: 20% in new barrels (20% in new barrels, 20% in 1-year old barrel, 25% in 2-years old barrels & 25% in 3-years old barrels, 10% in 4-years old barrels)
Aging Time: 15 months
Cases produced: 350 cases
Cellaring: Enjoy it now to 2027 (medium-full body wine)
Highest Awards: Platinum, 2019 Savor Virginia Wine Classic
Gold, 2018 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
