Tasting Notes
The 2021 NYSA needs aeration to release its sweet, rich, bold and intense aroma, with layers of dark berries, cherries, blackberries, followed by floral notes of roses and elegant-rich earth-oak complexity. The flavors are rich, sweet, juicy, bold, and bright, with a rich, concentrated, spicy dark fruit core, of blackberries, dark cherries, pomegranate, and rich concentrated tannins. The texture is medium sweet, rich and concentrated, with mouth filling rich-sweet tannins, bringing heat, power, grace and elegance to the wine. The mouthfeel is concentrated, rich and lasting, an intense mouthful of flavors. The finish is very long and intense with concentrated dark fruit flavors, bright acidity, rich tannins, spiciness and oak complexity. This wine can be enjoyed now with strong decanting and will benefit from a few years of cellaring.
Production Notes
The 2021 growing season was hot and dry with wide swings in weather conditions. An abnormally cold period at the end of May and a relatively cool wet period around bloom resulted in lower yields. The heat in the summer included a 5-day stretch that averaged 103F highs and 92-day span with only .02 inches of rain. Through the dry vintage emerged fruit with very little disease pressure, full ripeness, deep concentration while retaining good acidity. All these factors culminated to produce wines that are exceptionally balanced exhibiting flavors of intense dark fruit, earthiness and minerality paired with floral and red fruit aromatics.
Torii Mor’s harvest started on September 13th and finished on September 29th.
Winemaker Notes
Harvested September 23, at 23.9 Brix, the fruit was handpicked, sorted, destemmed, then fermented without cold soak, in small 1.5 ton bins for 17 days, with RB2, and BRG yeasts and punched down 3 times a day. The wine was aged for 21 months with 25% new French oak. The barrels were racked in August when the blend was put together before returning to neutral barrels until bottling.
This blend is made of 100% 115 clone.