Nose
Strong aromatics of blueberry reduction and cracked black pepper.
Palate
Fruit flavors of blueberry and the spicy pepper notes.
Growing Conditions
The Aurora Estate vineyard is known for its ribbons of clay strewn throughout the layers of highly porous sand. The clay in this soil creates a unique dynamic with the surrounding soil in how it allows water drainage to take place while also holding water in regions where the roots need it to help the vines continue to thrive during the droughts of summer. This dynamic allows the vines to thrive and focus on producing high quality fruit and not just putting out ample amounts of vegetative growth.
Winemaking
The Aurora vineyard is the last harvested every year. This adds a little excitement every time the Blau comes in. It's a fun grape to work with, the clusters are enormous, and the fermentation aromas are expressive. The fermentation is about 3 weeks long with a focus on intense fermentation cap management to get the most varietal expression possible.
The fruit for this wine was fermented in open top fermenters for 18 days before pressing. The wine was blended and laid to rest in a mix of subtle French oak barrels for 24 months. The minimal manipulation of this wine allowed it to express its varietal character.
Aging
Produced from estate grown Lemberger, this wine spent 18 months in combination of Bordeaux and Burgundian French Oak barrels to concentrate the fruit flavors of blueberry and the spicy pepper notes.
Food Pairing
An exciting food pairing with wild game or lamb dishes.
