2018 Tre Leoni – Red Blend

Each grape varietal was fermented and aged as separate lots in French and American oak barrels. Winemaker Jason Moulton tasted through each lot and put the final blend together after aging 18 months. The lion’s share of the wine is Cabernet Sauvignon with equal, lesser percentages of Merlot, and Syrah and a small amount of Zinfandel. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

For the 2018 vintage, bud break began in late March to early April, leading to a Spring that was mild and dry. Flowering proved to be long and gave way to a healthy set of uniform grape clusters. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading to a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. Throughout the vineyard growing season, there were no heat spikes and the temperatures were steady and even-keel. The Merlot and Zinfandel grapes were the first to ripen in mid-September followed by the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in late September and mid-October.