2019 Fall Release

Harvest 2019 – Our 20th Vintage!!

Dear Friends,

My, how time flies! We apologize for the later than normal release letter, but what a busy fall it has been for us. The culmination was bringing in the final grapes of the 2019 vintage on October 18th beginning at 3:00am. Our picking crew lit up the vineyard and got to it, completing the work in about four hours. The grapes were at the winery by dawn and the detailed process of sorting began. By the end of the day the juice was “enjoying” a cold soak before fermentation begins. We had a little fun this harvest with our new young Cabernet Franc vines. We took a light crop and made a Rose, which we will share with you in the spring. All in all, it has been a wonderful growing season without any issues.

We enjoyed doing a Grand Vertical Tasting of our Cabernet Franc and Rendezvous in September. What a treat it was to revisit the wines and see how they have aged. Donny has often said the “sweet spot” for our wines is about six to nine years old. He wasn’t wrong, but it was delightful to sip the original 2001 Cabernet Franc and others from the early years and taste the flavors that are uniquely an expression of Trespass terroir. During the winter months we hope to add some of our notes to the website. We both wear many hats (actually ALL the hats), so sometimes distractions get in the way of the best laid plans!

On to the fall wine release…..we have four wines to offer, wrapping up the spectacular 2016 vintage. The consensus in the Napa Valley is that this vintage is second only to the amazing 2013’s. The depth of flavors and complexity of these wines are destined to make them a classic, and a cellar favorite.

2016 Trespass Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

270 cases produced

From a classic vintage emerges a classic Cabernet. This wine has a thousand nuances weaving through it. Within the beautiful, dark tangle, I easily find aromas of reduced blueberry, dried plum, graphite, whiffs of vanillin and new French oak. As a baby, this wine benefits from a decant as it really opens with a little extra air and moments resting in the glass. Purity of fruit is the best way to describe this wine. It rides the rails of absolute brightness. The flavors of blackberry, raspberry and red cola delight the pallet. There is roundness to this wine, which gives it a width and approachability that is quite warm and welcoming. A standout, right where it should be in the Trespass lineup. This wine will drink quite well to 2035 and beyond. Aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2016 Trespass RENDEZVOUS

150 cases produced

This beautiful blend has returned for its 11th vintage, and like an old friend, every encounter picks up where the last left off. Consistency is the keyword to this wine and what a fantastic, showy vintage for this standout red! Beautiful spicy red fruit pushes immediately up the nose with blackberry, ripe black cherries, hint of barrel toast and grilled bread, vanilla wax and that aromatic energy that only Cabernet Franc lends to the wines blended to it. Pushy with black berry, dried currants, plum fresh acidity and flavorful, chewy tannins. The co-fermented blend has plenty of muscle and we can’t wait to see how it develops after 5, 10 and 15 years of cellaring! Aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2016 Trespass Old Vine Zinfandel

125 cases produced

As winemaker Kirk Venge says, old vine Zinfandel has a very welcome place in his heart. “These vines are soldiers that have endured so many seasons, it’s nearly countless. We depend on these vineyards for their pure varietal character, depth and consistency. The Luvisi Vineyard, where the grapes for this wine originate, is perhaps the oldest vineyard I have the pleasure of working with.” This is nothing short of a rich wine with lovely red fruit layers from start of the nose to the black fruit flavors as the finish tapers off. The flavors are rich and ripe with a brambly strawberry preserves that carries throughout. Balance is found with bright, prominent acidity and tannin texture. It’s beautiful to see old vine Zin respected and made in this fashion. Our barrel regime is a bit different as we age in 50% new French oak with the balance in neutral barrels, rather than the conventional American oak. The subtle nuance it gives to this fruit is truly delicious! Aged for 17 months and bottled unfined, unfiltered.

2016 Trespass Petite Verlot

50 cases produced

What on earth is Petite Verlot? A sensational Bordeaux mélange is what! While blending Merlot and Petit Verdot has been in practice in Bordeaux throughout its history, in the Napa Valley it is far less common. Donny knocked it out of the park suggesting combining these two reds at one of our typical blending sessions one afternoon. These two varitals are quite different in shape and size but alas, they complement each other especially well. The dark and inky color shines through from the Petit Verdot. The massive nose is a fine bouquet of the two, violets from the Verdot and sweet red fruit from Merlot. The flavors take off with warm, ripe and smooth black fruit flooding the bottom of the palate. The flavors are long and stretch to a point where the underlying power of Petit Verdot out pace Merlot and give the wine backbone, youthful structure and a quite lengthy finish. Only two barrels of this wine were produced, one new French oak and one neutral barrel. Aged for 22 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2016 Trespass Merlot

25 cases produced – A “No Limits” Exclusive

This lively Merlot has aromatics packed full of ripe blue fruit that enters the nose very seductively! The intoxicating mixture, once it enters the mouth, is nothing short of fantastic. The oak, clove, cinnamon and cardamom spices all intermingle to create a scene from a bakery during the winter holiday season. Cinnamon toast and rolls, allspice and anise. It’s all in there and shouts Merlot! Always a treasure when we bottle some of these grapes on their own, so grab a few bottles quickly. Aged for 22 months in a new French oak barrel, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

We will enjoy the lovely fall weather ahead…..the warm afternoons, long shadows and vibrant colors of the vineyards. The vines have worked hard and can now rest, and we couldn’t be more excited about this 20th vintage! Thank you all for enjoying the result of the dedicated farming and vintner life we love and we are flattered that we get to be a part of your wine enjoyment.

Cheers to all,
~ Dana & Donny Gallagher