2006 Next Red

Winemaker's Notes

Back in 1997, we planted three acres of Malbec and Petit Verdot to be used to blend with our Cabernet Sauvignon. Having enjoyed Malbec-based wines from Cahors in France and been pleased by the Malbec wine we made for blending, we created our own Malbec blend and named it Next Red. The 2006 Next Red is the third vintage of this red wine.

2006 began with snow and continued wet through the Spring with 26 days of rain in March. Early Summer heat followed by mild temperatures allowed the vineyard to produce excellent fruit. The Malbec harvest came late beginning October 11 with:

To produce this vintage of Next Red, we fermented the juice with the skins to extract their color and flavor. CO2 gas (a by-product of fermentation) bubbled up through the skins causing them to float to the top, forming the “cap”. We pumped the juice from the bottom of the tank and sprinkled it over the cap throughout fermentation to insure thorough extraction.

Following the Bordeaux tradition of extended maceration, the wine remained on the skins for another two weeks to soften its young tannins. Next the wine was moved into our caves for barrel aging. During its first Winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation to lower its acidity and add richness. After many tastings in the Winter of 2008, we blended 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot with 80% Malbec. We continued to barrel age the wine until it was bottled in August 2008 with:

We are pleased to offer our third vintage of Next Red. With fruit-driven aromas of cherries, violets and cola, the 2006 has the liveliness and spice from Malbec with the elegant complexity of Cabernet. Dark chocolate, fresh mint and sweet vanilla notes add richness to the palate and the length to the finish.

February 2010