There seems to be a tannin quality in 2005, at least in the vineyards I worked with, that is quite lovely, and special. The tannins are ample, abundant even, yet they caress tenderly, and never seem to bite. Our Wylie-Fenaughty blend in ’05 is a fine example. The wines from each of the two vineyards displayed lip-smacking tannins right at the outset, not unlike those I’ve found in the Cru Beaujolais from ’05 that are my favorites (Domaine du Vissoux would be a prime example). When the blend was made, late in the Spring of ’06, the tannins married fabulously; the energy they brought to the wine was actually increased, but the sensation was even more tender and pillowy. As always, with this wine, there is also abundant smokiness, and a depth, in which there is a certain ferocity, no doubt from its origins in the wilds of the Sierra foothills: the beast that, over time, becomes civilized, and then elegant. At first the experience of tasting Wylie-Fenaughty is of tension, between the ferocity and the elegance. And when it becomes mature, it’s about the integration of the two, the balancing of poles.

FRUIT SOURCE:

Vineyard Sources: Wylie Vineyard is situated North of the American River, at 2800’ elevation, near Georgetown. The soil is fractured quartzite rock and shale, with low moisture-retaining capacity; the vineyard blocks are at the top of a steep hill. Fenaughty Vineyard is South of the American River, in the Apple Hill District of Placerville, also at 2800’ elevation, on a North slope. Soil at Fenaughty is volcanic clay-loam, with good moisture-holding capacity. The grapes at Fenaughty generally ripen ten days to two weeks after those at Wylie.

WINEMAKING NOTES:

Winemaking Notes: Grapes from both vineyards are picked by hand into half-ton bins, and destemmed into open top fermenters. Fermentation begins on native yeasts, and cuvaison is generally 12-15 days, during which time cap management is by manual punchdown. At dryness the wine is pressed directly into older French puncheons of 18-22 years age. First racking was late Spring of ’06, when the blend was made. The wine was racked again in late August, prior to bottling.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES:

Winemakers’ Tasting Notes: The color is a glorious, dark purple-red, quite vibrant. There’s a deep, smokey, gamey nose, showing blackberry, wild raspberry, a dash of iodine, and crushed peppercorn. On the palate the wine is very structured, with sweet tannins framing dark fruit of some opulence. Nice acidity keeps the flavors vibrant. Long, smoky finish; could use a few years to sort out its’ youthful gangliness. (Where’s Gangloff when you need him?)

• Production: 320 cases produced
• Suggested Retail: Suggested Retail $25.00
• Release Date: September 1, 2007 (extremely limited)

Produced And Bottled By Thirsty Pagans With Big Ideas, under the direction of Steve Edmunds, Winemaker