2nd Release Teodoro Port, Sage Canyon Vineyard, Napa Valley
This delicious effort is homage to Gary's paternal grandfather, Theodore, who introduced Gary to the pleasures of Port.
Teodoro Port is made from three Portuguese varietals - Tinta Cao, Touriga National, and Souzao, grown in the same Sage Canyon Vineyard as the Syrah. The vines are seven years old. The spicy Tinta Cao makes up 60 % of the cuvée; the deeply colored, fruity Souzao composes 30 %; and the intense, tannic Touriga National the remaining 10 %.
Gary ensured a cold fermentation using plenty of dry ice. He says "It makes it tough on your legs, as Kim or I or both of us tread each bin about 15 minutes a day, and the temperature is between 50° and 60° F. The fermentation is therefore slow, with maximum extraction, and also allows us to 'dial in the arrest' exactly when we need it. After a cold soak of about 5 days, we are usually in a position to press (around 12° Brix) in another 8 - 10 days."
This second release, 98 cases of 12 / 375 ml bottles, is a blend of cuvees from 2004, 2005, and 2006, and is by design non-vintage. The wine was aged in neutral oak on the average of two and one-half years, and was bottled in mid-June 2007.
Sage Canyon Vineyard in Napa Valley
produces premium wine grapes from a steep
mountain ranch with elevations that range
from 900 to 1,400 feet above the Napa
Valley floor. Extensive summertime early
morning fog makes this vineyard an ideal
wine grape growing area. On this 60 acre
vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel,
Syrah, and Petite Sirah are grown. Soils
types are a complex combination that
includes Berressa dibble, and both Los
Gatos and Millsholm loam.
Technical data:
| Residual Sugar |
7.73 g/100 ml |
| Alcohol |
20.5% by volume |
| Titratable Acidity |
0.63 g/100 ml |
| pH |
3.76 |
| Release date |
January 1, 2008 |
| Case Production |
98 cases |
| Suggested Retail |
$23.00 |
The 2nd Release, Miller Wine Works Teodoro Port, Sage Canyon Vineyard, Napa Valley, is somewhat candied, but faintly closed on the nose. It is dark plum in color, and while not completely thick and unctuous on the palate, it is at the same time both softer and more refined than our first effort. It exhibits notes of clove, mulled spices and brown sugar once you try it. So coax those nuances from the bottle, and enjoy the perfect cold-weather, after-dinner companion.
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