2019 Reserve Saint Macaire 750ml
2019 HANNA Reserve Saint Macaire, Alexander Valley, 93 Points - International Wine Report
Vineyard: The grapes for Hanna’s 2019 Reserve Saint Macaire were grown on our Red Ranch in Alexander Valley. The property is bisected by Hoot Owl Creek. Below Hoot Owl Creek this benchland ranch is planted on Clough Series gravelly loam soil. Above Hoot Owl it is planted on Laughlin Series sandy loam. These are soils of two-foot depth and less. The vineyard is planted to 50 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 acres of Malbec, two-and-a-half acres of Merlot, two acres of Petit Verdot, and just over a half acre of Saint Macaire.
Vintage 2019: Winter was mild and very wet (50 plus inches of rain), delaying bud break and setting the stage for a low irrigation year. Degree-days tracked a bit higher than 2018, with ideal weather and no temperature spikes until we had a few hot days in mid-August and late September-which alleviated any worries about our bit of mid-September rain. 2019 was an extremely long harvest with moderate weather continuing into early November. We harvested the grapes for our Alexander Valley Saint Macaire between October 8 and 18, 2019, at an average of 25.8o degrees Brix.
Winemaking: We hand-harvested in the cool hours from midnight to sunrise. The grapes were sorted, destemmed and partially crushed to stainless steel fermentation tanks. The must was cold soaked for six days before being warmed and inoculated. Pressing was done “to taste,” based on hourly tastings of the wines during peak fermentation. The newly pressed wines were racked to tank and allowed to settle before barreling. The wine was aged in neutral barrels and a terracotta amphora.
Tasting Notes: The color alone stops the show. What follows aromatically recalibrates wines aromatic zeitgeist, never straying into funky-hip, but displaying pure notes of tapenade, freshy dug Nebula carrots, galanga, violet, wintergreen and pomegranate tea. Flavors are echoic, adding taro and malt. Enormous and youthful by mouth, decanting or laying down is recommended. (Tasted 1/23/23)
Variety
82% Saint Macaire
1% Cab Sauv, 17% Malbec
Vineyard Location
HANNA Red Ranch Saint Macaire block 32, Cab block 4, Malbec block 1
Age of Vines
7-28 years
Alcohol 14.4%
pH 3.72
Titratable Acidity (TA) 0.58 g/100 mL
Residual Sugar 0.06%
Avg. Brix at Harvest 25.8o
Length/Type of Aging
18 months in neutral European oak coopered by Trust, Nadalie, and Boutes and Italian terracotta amphora.
Bottling Date
June 21, 2021
Number of Cases: 71
Vegan