TateDog Wines

I just realized I was pouring the 2012 and they had the 2011 for sale. If that has created a problem please let me know. They are a bit different.
Sorrry and cheers, Mike

Rich, Ripe, Round, Nice Balance

180 cases

Carlos worked hard (still does) for 30+ years on this ranch. When the owner did the right thing and offered a piece of it to Carlos, he managed to buy it, build his house and plant this vineyard. The skill, knowledge, and sophistication of the owner shown through in the fruit that we tasted and harvested. Carlos and I worked together for numerous years, so I knew that the wine would turn out as it well as it did. It was a pleasure to be allowed this opportunity.

This wine is very approachable, with a nice weight and finish. It has the sophisticated yet easygoing nature of the vineyards owner. Shows moderately light reddish-umber color in the glass with a pleasing nose of black cherries, ripe berries and echoes of oak. The very tasty black cherry/ripe fruits core and hints of spice couple with a mid weight silky mouth feel and mild tannins in the elegant lingering finish. This wine will age well, but there is no need to wait. Enjoy alone on the veranda or with roasted vegetables or pork tenderloin. Works great with BBQ chicken too.

Barrel aged 30 months, smooth, velvet, balanced

200 cases

We feel this to be another best effort yet in our search for elegance combined with lusciousness. This is a small lot wine from our vineyard that we picked in mid October in what was a cool year. The fruit was in great shape with the dimpling that I look indicating full ripeness. We hand picked the rows we had selected at dawn two days after the full moon. The mostly clone 337 fruit with a bit of clone 15 was cool and the juice in the tank was ~25 brix. The other fruit chemistry was also well balanced with a 3.8 pH and 0.6 TA. We destemmed and cold soaked for 48 hours before fermenting in a small open top fermentor. The punchdown regime was twice daily. Claude inoculated with D-254 yeast. Our barrel blend was ~20% 2nd Hungarian Trust, 20% 2^nd use American and 40% 2^nd use French and 20% new Segun Morreau French so as not to overwhelm the fruit with oak. The wine was in barrel 30 months and introduced to barrel slightly sweet.

We find that the wine is opulent on entry with a velvet body with black and red fruits. It is great  for sipping alone or supping with meals.  The finish lingers nicely without being overwhelmed in tannins. We feel this is a wonderful, elegant, smooth well balanced wine. As it ages it will only get more smooth, though there is no reason to wait. We are getting great feedback from friends, consumers, trade and my associates in the industry. This vintage stands up well to our gold medal winning 2009 and 2010.

Barrel fermented, rich, round, beautifully balanced

600 cases

We had hand picked the rows we had selected October 7^th which was once again about 2 weeks later than average for the vineyard. As the leaf cover was close to perfect (1 leaf layer over the clusters) the vineyard had only been hand combed to assure each shoot had its own spot in the sun. As a result, we had our usual 10-15% russeted fruit was with a few raisins within the clusters indicating full ripeness. The pick was just after light in the AM with virtually no moon and cool when we got the fruit off, getting to the winey at 8 AM. The juice in the tank was 24.9 brix. The other fruit chemistry was also well balanced with a 3.5 pH and 0.6 TA. We whole cluster pressed and settled the juice overnight before Claude inoculated 1/3 the juice with Cepage CH , 1/3 with CY3079 yeasts and 1/3 with QA23 and moved to barrel for fermentation. Our barrel blend was 60%  2^nd and 3^rd fill American, 10% 2^nd fill French oak and 10% new Hungarian. The French being (Francoise Freres), the American being World Cooperage and the Hungarian Trust.  All were medium toast. Per out usual practice, the wine was in barrel Sur Lie for 10 months with the lees being stirred weekly. While this is extremely laborious (and costly), we hope you find that the palate has been enriched both texturally and organoleptically (taste). The wine is 100% ML positive which also helps with the richness on the palate.

We find that the wine is as in the past, round, fleshy and succulent, has a rich entry thru finish, with tropical fruits, a hint of flint, citrus crème brulee and honey notes. The butterscotch and nut on the finish lingers pleasantly. The wine is dry with a bit of pleasant barrel sweetness. The acidity is balanced and the wine is rich enough to go with the fat of a ribeye very nicely.  You can enjoy a fair amount in one sitting without feeling engorged.

Buon Giorno   Mike                                                                       Tatedog@ pacbell.net