2020 Vintage One
Livermore Valley
Grown + Produced + Bottled
by Fraser-Howard Vineyards
$36
What a year to choose to start a winery, a literal trial by fire. When taking the reins of Fraser-Howard in the summer of 2020 the goal was to fully understand what this beautiful fruit had to offer. This wine is the final blend of multiple vinification and aging trials. The intense fires of the year did not hinder any quality but resulted in slighly lower yields so all trials were blended together culminating in a unique, intensely flavorful wine. Notes of ripe peach, apricot, Meyer-lemon, and honeysuckle lead into a mouth filling palate and lingering finish.
The 2020 growing season was one of ample sunshine and moderate spring temperatures that gave way to a warmer than summer. Long, warm days with cooler than average nights resulted in fruit with good concentration while preserving its natural acidity. A mid-August heat spike lead to a quick decision to pick ahead of an extreme heat wave.
Late on August 16, the weather changed and there was a rare dry lightning storm that sparked a number of fires throughout the Bay Area. Harvest took place early morning August 17 to orange hazy skies. The fruit was off the vine before any smoke damage could truly take hold, but as we transferred pressed juice into tanks ash began to snow down upon us. The wine was protected and safe, but it did make for an eerie apocalyptic scene. What a year to start a winery, a literal trial by fire.
Harvested took place early on August 17th ahead of impending heat-waves and smoke damage. The goal of the innogural 2020 vintage was to understand just what this vineyard was capable of. The fruit was gently pressed together into one tank before being split between smaller steel tanks and neutral french oak barriques. Each vessel underwent seperate fermentation frials utilizing a variety of commercial yeasts. Post-primary fermentation the barrel portion underwent full malo-lactic conversion in both new and neutral oak, where the tank portion did not. Upon full completion of all fermentation the seperate component were tasted and blended to create this final wine.
