La Muse

Following two consecutive years of drought, late 2021 saw a return of abundant rain in our Sonoma County vineyards, raising hopes of an end to the ongoing dry spell. Nature would have different plans though, as the rains ended abruptly in early January, and did not return through the remainder of the winter. With the drought now persisting into a third year, careful measures were taken during pruning to ensure yields would be kept low in the coming season. Ongoing drought aside, spring warmed up beautifully, delivering an even budbreak, flowering, and fruit-set. The summer months that followed brought classic Sonoma County weather, with warm days offset by cold nighttime temperatures. By early September however, a defining weather event of the 2022 vintage began to take shape in the form of an extended and severe heat wave. To ensure a natural balance of acidity, sugar, and tannin in the fruit, our vineyard teams sprang into action, harvesting our Chalk Hill Merlot on September 5, and concluding just nine days later with the fruit from our cooler Bennett Valley micro-crus on September 14. The resulting wines are superbly balanced, with robust structure and layers of complexity. They will be very long-lived wines.