Red Wine Lovers Lot - Obsidian Ridge, Farmstrong & Onward
3 Bottles

Name of Winery: Obsidian Ridge; Farmstrong; Onward

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: Three

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon; Red Blend; Carignane

Vintage: 2017; 2017; 2015

Appellation: Red Hills Lake County; California; Redwood Valley

Obsidian Ridge 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 Bottle

TASTING NOTES Your nose is teased with coffee nibs, blueberries and black pepper, but a shy side emerges after time in the glass: blackberries and a gentle floral lift. Flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and fresh blackberry are carried on silky tannins—they speak clearly, but don’t shout. 2017 is a riper, fuller, but quieter vintage of our signature bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon.

VINEYARD Obsidian - glassy black rock of volcanic origin - covers the hillsides of Obsidian Ridge Vineyard. The steep, sloping terroir of this land, with its incomparable red gravely soil shot through with obsidian, is all that a winemaker could hope for. Half a mile above sea level, the harsh mountain climate shows our fruit no mercy, and this builds character. Pacific winds, blinding mountain sunlight, and cold, rocky conditions produce grapes with exceptionally thick skins, dark color, and intense flavor.

VINTAGE Northern California continued to recover from the drought, and the year began with abundant rainfall and mild spring weather. The rejuvenated vines produced a beautiful crop. Summer temperatures were normal and harvest began slightly early and slowly. On October 8th, terrible wildfires erupted in Napa and Sonoma Counties. We were fortunate that we had already completed the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir harvest from Poseidon Vineyard, and Obsidian Ridge Vineyard was well north of the fire and smoke and was totally unaffected. It was a year that the attentive winemaker, one familiar with their vineyards and with a committed and reliable crew, was rewarded.

WINEMAKING A blend of eight blocks from Obsidian Ridge Vineyard, the lush flavor and sweetness of this wine comes from fruit harvested on the steepest slopes of our vineyard, rising from 2,300 to 2,640 feet above sea level. Th­e spicy aroma and structure is derived from fruit picked later in the season in the lower blocks of the vineyard. Young wines are aged exclusively in Tokaj oak by Kádár Hungary, the cooperage we have owned for nearly three decades. Located in Kádárok Volgye (Valley of the Coopers), this region of the Tokaj appellation has a written history of over 1,000 years of coopering.

OBSIDIAN RIDGE The New Frontier for Cabernet Sauvignon. Forged in a volcano; some said this land could not be planted. We had faith in the endless potential of an old abandoned walnut orchard, 2,640 feet above sea level, high in the Mayacamas Range. We have sought higher, rockier, and farther places to grow grapes, source oak, and build wines that are complex, nuanced, and delicious. A new expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by inspiration, not recipe. If you seek new frontiers in wine, join our journey.

In our vineyard, we follow the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices and are Fish Friendly Farming certified. The Tokaj forests where our barrels are coopered have been sustainably managed since 1769 by decree of the Empress Maria Teresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, requiring selective logging and systematic replanting. In our solar powered winery, we follow traditional and natural winemaking practices. We are family and employee owned—ensuring consistency, stability and long-term generational sustainability of our sources and practices

obsidianridge.com

Farmstrong 2017 Field Red, 1 Bottle

This wine fills the glass with aromas of dark fruit, pencil shavings, grilled bread and hints of freshly ground white pepper, which are complemented by flavors of black plums, preserves, cranberry and warm Okanagan cherry clafouti that’s been cooked in a cast iron pan.

This wine has loads of fruit, mellow tannins and complex aromatics, it is a go-to red, she is super fun and refreshingly reliable.

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: 1 bottle

Varietal: Red Blend (Carignane, Syrah)

Winemakers Notes: This is a blend from three of my growers and they are all sustainably dry farmed sites: 80+ years old Carignane from Hawkeye Ranch in Redwood Valley (36%), 120+ years old Carignane from Casa Roja Vineyard in Contra Costa (28%), and Syrah from Ledgewood Vineyard in Suisun Valley (36%).

Both the Carignane lots were 90% de-stemmed and 10% whole cluster, they were fermented in open top stainless steel tanks with punch downs.  I included 33% whole cluster fermentation in this Syrah lot and it was fermented in an open top fermenter (with pigeage by yours truly), this added a complexity that I am really excited about.  After the native fermentation was finished the wines were put to barrel and aged in 9% once-used oak and 91% neutral French oak. Once secondary (native malolactic) fermentation was complete the barrel selected blend was racked together, becoming Farmstrong Field Red.  The wine was put back to barrel for a total elevage of 10 months before being bottled in the summer.

All three of the vineyard sites where the grapes of this blend are grown have a large diurnal temperature shift. This is a key element that allows the fruit to be balanced and beaming with flavor at lower sugars, allowing me to harvest earlier and retain the lovely natural acidity, vibrant red fruits and floral notes.

Farmstrong Wines

ONWARD 2015

ONWARD
Single Vineyard Carignane
2015 Hawkeye Ranch, 1 bottle

ONWARD 2015 Carignane, Hawkeye Ranch, Redwood Valley: Bright fresh aromas of Lambert cherry, Santa Rosa plum, cranberry and pomegranate are complemented by hibiscus flower aromas and a beautiful minerality. This wine is lively and fresh with a smooth finish, she is comfortable in her own skin and upon meeting her for the first time this feeling rushes through you, and it is as if you have always known her.

ONWARD WINES are single-vineyard, site-driven wines and Farmstrong Wines are blends, and in both expressions the vineyard sites are very special to me. I am a true believer in personal connection and there is a story behind each vineyard site and how it came to be part of my portfolio. In these stories you will learn more about the people behind these vineyards. I liken my connection to these vineyards to that of one’s favorite shirt or coffee mug or chair. Like a well worn fabric or a slightly chipped mug that may have initially caught my eye for its beauty, but over the years it has won my heart because it just feels right. When it comes to vineyards this happens too, and it is a combination of my connection with the vines themselves and my connection with those that tend them. For me the growers hands are most definitely part of the terroir.

My style is about letting the vines speak. They are the art, I am the canvas, my job is to give them a chance to share their beauty in each and every vintage. My decisions are driven from the vineyard and the vintage, my cellar practices are to uphold the truths I find in the vineyard. To this end I pick early looking for balance of flavors at lower ripeness, as I find this is when each vineyard is in its most unique expression of self.

Owner & Winemaker Faith Armstrong is the mom of 4 Stone Bridge School students! Check out the recent Family Circle Magazine article on her here.

onwardwines.com