Alexander Valley

2015 Symmetry Red Wine 1.5L

The 2015 vintage was warm overall, but cooler than the previous few years. Budbreak was very early, weeks ahead of average. Yields were very low—in some blocks half of what we’d normally harvest. The low yields led to sugars accumulating much faster in the clusters than the speed at which ripening was occurring. Cool and hot weather alternated the rest of the summer. The acidity and tannins in the berries remained firm as we were looking at the possibility of a record early harvest date, so we chose to let the sugars go, waited for the acids to lower and for the tannins to soften. Satisfied with the flavors, and with all things in balance, we picked blocks from five different vineyards in Alexander Valley, plus our Estate Cooley Ranch out in the wild hills north of Lake Sonoma, all the way through September, as the fruit from each block tasted best.