2019 Le Blend
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Wine Specs
Vintage
2019
Varietal
Blend - red
Appellation
Willcox
Harvest Date
September and October
Acid
TA: 5.6 g/L
pH
3.82
Aging
Aged 5 months in 5% 1-year-old French, 15% 3-year-old French and 80% neutral oak barrels. Aged another 6 months in 10% 1-year-old French, 30% 3-year-old French and 60% neutral oak barrels. Twice racked. Filtered, but unfined.
Alcohol %
13.6
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Le Blend began in 2014 as a one-off, kitchen-sink blend of components that remained after assembling our other wines. There was some thought that went into it. We were aiming to balance our lighter, fruitier, leftover Italian varietals with the darker characters of varietals like Syrah, Tempranillo and Petite Sirah to make a soft, easy-drinking wine with a broad range of fruit characters. Because of the surprising popularity of that first vintage, we added LeBlend to our regular portfolio and started sourcing fruit more specifically for it. The composition still changes every year, but LeBlend has a definite theme and identity now. It has also quite accidentally become one of our most popular wines! 20 barrels produced.
Vineyard Notes
Willcox AVA - Arizona - 30% Sangiovese from Carlson Creek Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Sept. 16th - 30% Graciano from Rhumb Line Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Sept. 4th - 11% Tempranillo from Cimarron Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Aug. 22nd & 25th - 6% Counoise from Sierra Bonita Vineyard. Graham County, AZ. 4,400 ft. elevation. Harvested Oct. 8th - 5% Grenache from Sierra Bonita Vineyard. Graham County, AZ. 4,400 ft. elevation. Harvested Sept. 31st - 4% Tannat from Rhumb Line Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Sept. 20th - 4% Petite Sirah from Sierra Bonita Vineyard. Graham County, AZ. 4,400 ft. elevation. Harvested Oct. 8th - 4% Sangiovese from Cimarron Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Aug. 26th - 3% Tannat from Sierra Bonita Vineyard. Graham County, AZ. 4,400 ft. elevation. Harvested Oct. 8th
- 2% Sangiovese from Edge of the Vine Vineyard. Yavapai County, AZ. 3,500 ft. elevation. Harvested Aug. 27th - 1% Montepulciano from Cimarron Vineyard. Cochise County, AZ. 4,300 ft. elevation. Harvested Sept. 22nd - Sugar at harvest: 24.2 Brix average.
Production Notes
Destemmed but not crushed to open-top, 3⁄4- and 1.5-ton bins. All lots were left an average of 20% whole-cluster. Inoculated with specially selected yeasts (BRL97, BM45, Rhone2056, VRB, CLOS, T73, MT & Ionys WF). Hand punched 3-4 times daily. Inoculated with Malolactic bacteria (Omega) around 5 Brix. Pressed at dryness after 11 days average skin contact. Settled 3 days average before barreling.
Production
495 cases
Other Notes
Drink now or cellar 4+ years