Slate 8
Another of our Premium, Bordeaux-Style red wine blends, Slate is smooth and easy to drink - whether on its own or with a variety of foods. The wine is very aromatic and shows dark fruit aromas and flavors along with aromas of sweet wood, tobacco, and spice.
Blend: 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, 17% Petit Verdot
In Stock
Wine Specs
Varietal
Bordeaux-Style Blend
Appellation
Frederick County
Aging
18 months in oak barrels
Bottling Date
May 2022
Alcohol %
13.3
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
Overall, 2020 was a successful growing season. After the difficult growing year in 2018 due to rain and the smaller than average harvest in 2019, our 2020 harvest burst forth with our highest yields yet. We were extremely lucky to have been missed by the late spring frosts and heavy summer rains that hit so many local vineyards, giving us plenty of sunshine, hot temperatures, and just enough rain to keep the vines from being over-stressed.
Production Notes
880 cases produced
Winemaker Notes
Once the fruit is picked, destemmed, and crushed, the berries, juice, pulp and seeds all go into a stainless steel fermentation tank. Once the tanks are filled, the juice will rest cool for a few days to extract as much color and flavor as possible. The wine will then ferment at a warm 80-90 degrees with frequent "pump overs" to provide for even extraction. Once fermentation is complete, the juice is drained out of the tanks and put into oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. Once the free-run juice is out of the tank we will press the remaining pommace (the skins, seeds, spent yeast) to extract additional wine. This "pressed wine," as it is called, is barreled separately for malolactic fermentation and aging. Generally, this pressed wine is more tannic and needs longer time in barrel to soften the tannins. Slate uses some of the more tannic, pressed wine in its blend.