2011 C?t? Nicault Release
While the 2010 C?t? Nicault is laying down in our cellars, unless of course it has already been savored, it is now time to release the next vintage; the 2011!
A limited production of 200 cases was created and is released to Long Shadows Vintners' wine club members and friends & family only. Please contact Nina, our Wine Club Manager, at ninar@longshadows.com if you would like to place an order before it sells out.
Jeb Dunnuck from the Wine Advocate wrote:
"It offers up beautiful blackberry and cassis style-fruit, ground pepper, wild herbs and hints of licorice to go with a medium to full-bodied, seamless, elegant and beautifully pure profile on the palate. Showing the more forward, supple nature of the vintage, it has solid mid-palate depth, fabulous overall freshness and a terrific finish."
$75 - 93 points
Vintage Characteristics
2011 was a cool vintage, or I should say "cooler", as it is all relative. A cooler vintage than normal in the Columbia Valley is still warmer than many other wine producing regions. Thanks to the Cascade Mountain range that holds the moisture coming from the Pacific, Eastern Washington consistently benefits from dry and warm growing seasons. Although 2011 was cooler, the late season during harvest was beautiful and allowed for long hang time and optimum physiological maturity.
The challenges of this vintage were handled by reducing the yield to allow each vine to focus their energy toward the maturation of clusters, therefore increasing the intensity of the color, texture and aromas. The result in the bottle is a wine with many layers of complexity, a deep flavor profile and an incredible vibrant mouthfeel.
Winemaking Techniques
Hand-picked grapes were brought to the winery in small bins where they underwent a distinct cellar protocol designed to complement the varietal.
Mourv?dre was aged in a French concrete egg to enhance the wine's spiciness and preserve its backbone.
Grenache underwent 20% whole-cluster native yeast fermentation to develop its delicate, perfume-scented aromas and adds another dimension to the finished wine, before aging in once-used French oak barrels.
Syrah was placed in small fermenters to achieve a high skin-to-juice ratio for added concentration, then aged in a 500L French oak barrel to capture the grapes' dark, savory character without undo oak influence.
After 18 months of aging, the final blend was assembled and the wine was bottled.
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