2012 Pharoh Moans Red Wine Paso Robles Westside

The 2012 growing season was much more typical than 2011, despite much lower rainfall levels. Bud break occurred toward the end of March. With our intensive canopy management, we farmed 2,300 vines per acre at approximately 10-12 clusters per vine, or just under 2 tons per acre yield. We harvested our limestone-rich, Westside blocks in early September, achieving brix levels of 26.9 for the Syrah. The grapes were cold soaked for a couple of days, then tank fermented and pressed 30-35 days later. The juice was gently pumped over at slow speeds to extract the full essence of the fruit. Each lot was then aged in 80% new oak for 18 months prior to bottling. Winemaker Guillaume Fabre blended a touch of Grenache into the PharaohMoans 2012 Syrah. The result: a balanced, fruit-forward wine exhibiting flavors of cherry, raspberry purée, and melted chocolate with smokey and spicy aromas. Good acidity, firm tannins and a strong sense of minerality should allow this wine to age gracefully for 10-15 years.