Combining the heady grandeur of port with the voluptuous flavors of great Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine displays mesmerizing aromas of chocolate-covered espresso beans, black cherry, vanilla and berry cobbler. On the palate, this one-of-a-kind wine has a lush velvety texture, with dark liquid candy flavors of caramel, hazelnut, marmalade and toffee that glide across the palate to a long flowing finish.
Thisdelicateyetopulentfortifiedwinestrikesan excellentbalance ofacidity,alcohol,and sweetnessandis ideal as anaperitifwith, forexample,your favorite Manchego cheese,or with dessert.Itdisplaysaromasoforangeblossomandmarmalade,which are confirmed onthepalate,alongwith more complex flavors offig,caramelizedwalnut,toffee,andhardcandy flavors. With its luscious texture, this wineglidesacrossthe palate to a long flowingfinish.It may be served slightly chilled and isperfect for warming up winter evening
Stuhlmuller Vineyards is located at the southern edge of the Alexander Valley, where it converges with two other highly regarded Sonoma County appellations, Chalk Hill and the Russian River Valley. On its eastern edge, the 150-acre vineyard borders the Russian River. Situated in a location that is part river benchlands and part hillside, the vineyard benefits from its alluvial gravel soils, as well as the rockier soils of the hillside sections.
Crafted in the style and tradition of a great Port, this special limited- production wine was made exclusively from our estate grapes, with a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the hillside sections of our vineyard. The wine was fermented in small 1 to 2 ton wooden fermenters using the traditional pigeage method of foot treading. Fermentation was arrested with the addition of barrel-aged brandy, and the wine was transferred to 10% new American oak and 90% French oak barrels for an average of four years of aging.
Crafted ina similarstyle and traditionas theMoscatelwines ofPortugal,thisspecial limited-productionwinewas made exclusively from ourEstateClone 809 Chardonnaygrapes, which shows some beautiful intensemuscat characteristics.The whole-clustergrapeswere foottreadedtorelease juice forskin contact, which was a period of several hours.Afterpressing, thejuicewassettled in tankfor 48 hoursbefore being transferredtoFrenchoak barrels.Fermentation was arrested with the addition ofbarrel-aged brandy, and the wineaged inbarrel for ten years
