2007 Merlot WINEMAKER NOTES The summer of 2007 was memorable. Spectacular conditions in June - warm, dry and breezy - allowed for a near perfect fruit set and subsequent large yields. It was a long, hot summer with a remarkable stretch of blue skies and plenty of sunshine in late August and throughout September. An intensive regimen of leaf removal (to better expose the fruit to the sun and air) and fruit-thinning, or "green-harvesting", was performed to lower yields and remove unripe fruit. The nearly ideal weather conditions combined with these viticultural practices allowed for the Merlot grapes to achieve maximum ripeness. The vineyard yielded about 2.75 tons per acre. The grapes were sent through the crusher-destemmer with the rollers set wide apart to retain a larger number of whole berries. Next, the grapes were sorted to remove MOG (matter other than grape) and any unripe or undesirable fruit. The must was inoculated immediately with both yeast and malolactic bacteria. This practice, called co-inoculation, marks an innovation in the red wine program at Paumanok. It resulted in the completion of malolactic fermentation prior to the completion of alcoholic fermentation. This has the major advantage of allowing the winemaker to rapidly protect the wine with sulfites (as opposed to waiting weeks or months after alcoholic fermentation for malolactic fermentation to complete). Delestage (complete drainage of free run and then irrigating over the cap, also called "rack and return") was done to achieve thorough, gentle extraction while minimizing the extraction of harsher tannins by the elimination of seeds as the cap settles during delestage. This method ensures that only the softest tannins are extracted. After the fermentation was complete, the free run was drained into oak barrels. The must was pressed and, after clarification, was also moved to oak barrels. After 14 months in primarily French oak barrels the Merlot was bottled. 10% was bottled under screw cap, the remainder under cork. Tasting notes: This medium to full-bodied Merlot offers aromas and flavors of ripe plums and black cherries along with herbal and floral notes and a smooth, generous tannin structure. TECHNICAL INFORMATION Appellation: North Fork of Long Island Variety: 100% Merlot Cooperage: 90% older French oak and 10% older American oak Alcohol: 13.0% pH: 3.54 Total Acidity: 6.5 g/l Harvest Date: October 15 & 16, 2007 Brix at Harvest: 22.6, 23.1 Residual Sugar: 0.1% Bottling Date: April 27, 2009 Release Date: January 15, 2011 Production: 818 cases BUY NOW!