World renowned. Washington grown.
2002 Two Vines Shiraz
Tasting Notes
“The Two Vines Shiraz is styled like a New World Shiraz—ripe, jammy and fruit-forward. The aromatics include black cherry and white pepper, and similar notes follow on the palate with strawberry nuances. The wine presents a rich, round mouth feel and supple, lingering finish.” -Ray Einberger, Winemaker
Growing Season
- The growing season began with cool weather that modestly delayed bud break and fruit set.
- Consistent and ideal weather conditions from mid-summer to early fall, with daytime to nighttime swings spanning as much as 40 degrees, were perfect for fruit maturation.
- Grape clusters were compact with large, fully mature berries. Fruit quality was excellent, marking the 5th consecutive quality vintage.
Vineyards
- Columbia Valley vineyards are seated east of the Cascade Mountain range. Up to 14,000 feet high, the mountains effectively block eastward-moving wet weather systems from the Pacific Ocean.
- Just 6 to 8 inches of rainfall reach the growing region annually. Vineyards are 100% drip irrigation.
- The soils have low fertility and low water-holding capacity, allowing precise control of vine growth patterns.
- Vines are planted north to south on south and southeast facing slopes.
Winemaking
- Grapes were destemmed and crushed with 10% whole berry remaining.
- Grapes fermented on the skins eight days with rotary fermenters to maintain bright fruit character and for six days using stainless steel fermenters with twice daily pumpovers to extract soft tannins and color.
- The wine aged in half French and half American oak barrels for 14 months.
- The final blend includes Merlot and Viognier to enhance the mouthfeel and fruit aromatics.
Technical Data
- Total acidity: 0.63 g/100ml
- pH: 3.68
- Alcohol: 13.8%
- Blend: 92% Shiraz, 5% Viognier, 3% Merlot