2022 Fall Release
Happy Harvest!
Ahhh….the life of a farmer, never a dull moment! And for added interest, Mother Nature just loves to put her special unexpected signature to each vintage. 2022 has given us a lovely growing season here at Trespass Vineyard. We avoided any adverse spring issues and had a nice fruit set. Summer could be considered mild as we sailed towards harvest. Then the calendar turned to September and on went the furnace.
St. Helena experienced over a week of 100+ degree days, two of which topped 117. We had never seen temperatures like this. Donny kept the vines hydrated to prevent the grapes from turning to raisins, thank goodness for his micro-management tendencies! The story ends well with us bringing in the fruit later in the month at just the right time with wonderful ripeness, flavor, acidity and balance.
Enough of the “farmer talk”, let’s switch to wine!! We have three of our 2019 vintage wines to offer you this fall, as well as the Encroachment 2018 Pinot Noir. In addition, we have our popular Tasting Pack featuring six of our 2019 wines. Orders are filled on a first come – first serve basis, so try to reply quickly to secure the wines and quantity you would like. Following are Donny and Kirk’s notes on the wines:
2019 Trespass Cabernet Sauvignon – 130 Cases Produced
Wow, what an incredible wine!! It has a beautiful black color that radiates from the glass. This Cab is nearly heroic in stature! A wonderful, fumy, black fruit and cherry nose wafts right away. Those ripe scents are backed by more complex hints of roasted coffee, blackberry jam, pomegranate and oak spice. This wine walks the tightrope of balance and doesn’t falter. The nose to the palate is nearly seamless in every way. Warmth and viscosity, with very large flavors of dark cherry and anais abound. The tannins show their stature and finesse and are even a touch on the youthful/chewy side, thus, more time in the bottle will yield nicely. Again, the gentle and fruitful notes walk the rope with the complex body and density of this wine right through to the finish. This wine was built to cellar very well. Aged for 22 months in new French oak. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
2019 Trespass RENDEZVOUS – 125 Cases Produced
Intense and seductive! We are very excited about this release of our 50-50 co-fermented blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. (Always one of our favorites!) There are layers and layers that are generous and profound with purity of black fruit and exotic expressions. The aromatics are right! Light scorched herbs, barrel toast, black cherry jam, roasted coffee and sweet plumbs. On the palate it is explosive and fills every corner with blackberry and vanilla, soft and round, but with firm tannins. This is a big wine that keeps evolving in the glass as well as on the palate, showing great complexity, Wow! Fermented and aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
2019 Trespass Old Vine Zinfandel – 150 Cases Produced
This 119 year old vineyard is producing some of the best Zinfandel grapes in the Napa Valley! We feel lucky that Kirk is able to consistently procure this fruit each year. This classy Zin has a focus on the “pretty” core fruit. We choose to age this wine in 50% new French oak, rather than the traditional American Oak, which we feel supports and brightens seamless red fruits of wild berry, currant, dried cherry and fresh raspberry. On the palate we have plum jam with a touch of clove and Christmas spice. What a nice, elegant Zinfandel, not pushy in the least. Aged 18 months in new and neutral French oak. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
2018 Encroachment Pinot Noir, RRV – 175 Cases Produced
There is something magical about Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Something even more magical when it is dry farmed Russian River Valley Pinot Noir! Hailing from the Dutton Widdoes Vineyard in the Green Valley of RRV, these 40-year-old vines have roots drilling down deep to find the water to sustain life. The soils from the ancient sea beds in this area and the thousands of river valley erosions have no better friend to translate this soil makeup than the venerable Pinot Noir. Pinot never lies about where it is from, with a clear message detailing terroir, viticulture, soil and climate to the many details and flavors in the glass. In addition to these old vines from Widdoes is 29% Pinot sourced from the Bacigalupi Vineyard. These grapes from a legendary farming family offer depth of dark fruit and warmth of a plush, velvety mouthfeel. The wine created has focused aromas of strawberry, ripe cherry and hibiscus. The flavors on the palate are ushered in with a tension of acidity supporting strawberry, ginger, and small hints of minty herbs. Aged 15 months in 100% new French Oak, bottled unfiltered and unfined. Enjoy now and it will cellar beautifully!
2019 Vintage Tasting Pack
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Intrigue, Mayhem, Rendezvous & Zinfandel
When you can’t make it out to Napa Valley for a visit, this six bottle collection will give you a chance to try the newest releases, just as if you were at the winery with Donny. This has been a popular gift item as well if you need to fill someone’s stocking!
You can use the enclosed order form or go to our website to place your order. Of course Donny loves a phone call which translates into a good excuse to talk wine! We love hearing your thoughts on the next bottle of Trespass you may have enjoyed, so reach out any time!
Cheers!
Dana & Donny Gallagher
