2013 Rob Roy Red
Library Selection
This is our 15th vintage of Rob Roy Red and it builds upon its prior vintages nicely. Every vintage relies on Cabernet Franc as the workhorse of the blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot providing background and nuanced complexity. It has fruit driven aromas such as cherries, blackberries and strawberries combined with spice black tea and hints of forest floor. The wine is very smooth and palate filling and the aromatics blend well with the oak barrel influences. Very fine tannins sit and linger on a very pleasant finish.
This vintage is a blend of hand-picked, estate grown Cabernet Franc (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Merlot (20%). The Merlot grapes were harvested on October 3, 2013 and had 21.5 brix natural sugar, 0.84 TA and 3.31 pH. The grapes were de-stemmed, inoculated with yeast and fermented at 72-82 degrees for 10 days.
The Cabernet Franc grapes were harvested on October 25, 2013 and had 23 brix natural sugar, 0.68 TA and 3.26 pH. The grapes were de-stemmed, inoculated with yeast and fermented for 12 days at 69-71 degrees. Finally, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested on November 6, 2013 with 23.2 brix natural sugar, 0.71 TA and 3.32 pH. These grapes were de-stemmed, inoculated with yeast and fermented for 13 days at 62-74 degrees. All three wines completed 100% malo-lactic fermentation.
The wines were then blended together and transferred into French and American oak barrels: 20% in two year old French oak barrels and 80% in a combination of new and used American oak barrels. The wine was aged for 25 months and then transferred into a stainless steel tank. The wine was then egg white fined, cold stabilized and filtered. It was bottled on July 26, 2016. 235 cases produced.
