2020 Peter Michael 'Les Pavots' Estate Red Knights Valley

Vintage Notes:  2020 saw the first February with no rainfall in recorded history. The rains eventually arrived with some particularly late storms: into May and even the very beginning of June which resulted in a good water profile in the soil at the beginning of the growing season. The weather during bloom was temperate and resulted in good fruit set and fairly normal yields. During most of the growing season, 2020 was fairly cool, punctuated by a series of heat spikes in late August and early September then fairly warm temperatures through harvest.

Winegrowing Notes:  Grown on the slopes of Mount Saint Helena in Knights Valley, the distinctive aromas and flavors of our proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot display their hillside origins. Rocky, rhyolitic soils created through volcanic activity millennia ago, contribute a mineral richness and add to the wine’s complexity. Spanning forty-nine acres, Les Pavots ascends to an elevation of nearly 1,400 feet. Merlot and Cabernet Franc grow on the cool upper slopes, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot below.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes:  The complex bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry, crème de cassis, and dark chocolate with floral notes of dried rose petals and violets exude from the glass of the captivating, shimmering deep red-robed 2020 ‘Les Pavots’. A plush, graceful entry builds to a broad mid-palate supported by very fine tannins. Black tea, dark chocolate, graphite, caramel, and savory notes culminate in a late mid-palate burst before resolving in a long, smooth finish. This is a classy, refined Les Pavots.