2018 Amuse Bouche Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley

WA98 The 2018 Proprietary Red Blend Amuse Bouche is composed of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bombastic scents of ripe black plums, boysenberries and Black Forest cake with hints of Morello cherries, star anise, cardamom and red roses, plus a touch of garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in poise, delivering loads of vibrant black fruit and exotic spice flavors with bold freshness plus exquisitely ripe, rounded tannins, finishing with fantastic length and perfume. Absolutely stunning Merlot!
Estate Notes: Crafted in the Pomerol style, Amuse Bouche 2018 is a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc from our vineyards in the east Rutherford hills of Napa Valley. We picked our fruit in three stages on 9/17, 9/29 and 10/18. The 2018 growing season was ideal — long and mild, with very few viticultural obstacles.Amuse Bouche 2018 exudes flavors of bright black plums, kirsch, red licorice, mocha beans, melted dark chocolate, fresh mushrooms, violets and clove spice. We produced 725 cases.

We commissioned renowned New Orleans artist James Michalopolous to create our 2018  label art, a culinary-inspired piece entitled “Fish Swish” (postcard enclosed.) Born in 1951 in Pennsylvania, James was drawn to New Orleans in 1981 in search of hippie bohemian culture in America. He began sketching artists and musicians, houses and street corners. Fascinated with the duality of beauty and decay, he adopted the architecture of the city as his muse. He captured the spirit and the essence of his subject in layer upon layer of thick impasto paint. His portraits of shotgun houses and creole cottages brimmed with color and energy.