Hedges Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Syrah 2014 (USA)

Description

Aromas of cinnamon, sweet plum and earthy pomegranate with hints of dried tobacco leaf, vanilla and dark cocoa powder. On the palate are flavors of ripe raspberry, milk chocolate and dried sage. Bright entry, full juicy mid-palate and a graceful finish with apparent and pleasing tannins. A nicely balanced wine, with enough acid and tannin to make this a more serious, longer lived wine that will go well with full flavored food. The structure of this wine means it will be best with food now, but should improve over the next two to seven years.

Farmers first, and winemakers second, the Hedges family believes there is nothing more important than expressing the characteristics of specific vineyards, of capturing Terroir. Anne-Marie grew up in Champagne, France, and is no doubt the messenger of these beliefs, bringing the philosophies of the old world to her new home in eastern Washington State. For more than a decade, the Hedges have chosen not to have their wines scored using numerical values, as they believe this would hinder their pursuit of making wines of soul and truth.

The 2014 vintage was the second consecutive warm year for Washington, with many growers reporting that it was their warmest year on record. Grape production continued to expand, up 8% to 227,000 tons. Much like the year before, the warm temperatures advanced most markers of the growing season. July and August saw record temperatures in some locations, and the warm temperatures continued all the way into mid-October.

Grapes come from the Columbia Valley vineyards: Weinbau, Wooded Island, and Sagemoor (all part of Sagemoor Farms), and Goose Ridge and the Red Mountain Vineyards of Hedges and Jolet. Most of the wines were pumped over during alcoholic fermentation for 6 to 10 days. About 50% of the wine was racked to barrel where it completed malo-lactic fermentation and then aged for an additional 9 to 10 months. The other 50% completed M-L in tank, at the end of which it was racked into French oak and had SO2 added. About 60% French oak /40% American oak.