 |
|
|
|
 |
 back
to wine description |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
1999 La Famiglia
Colmera Region/Origin: Napa Valley Residual Sugar: 0.03% (Dry) Total Acid: 0.63% Alcohol: 14.1% Final pH: 3.43 Blend: 75% Sangiovese, 22% Syrah, 3% Teroldego Winemaker's NotesColmera, the flagship wine of La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Winery, reflects the super-Tuscan philosophy of blending traditionally recognized Tuscan varieties with non-traditional grapes of the region to create wines of great structure and elegance. Our 1999 Colmera is a blend of Sangiovese, Syrah and Teroldego, selected primarily from the Stags Leap District AVA and Oakville AVA (American Viticultural Area) of Napa Valley. We emphasize Sangiovese’s vibrant red fruit character (crushed berry and dark cherry), citrus zest and violet notes with the subtlety of spice and cedar from Syrah and Teroldego. Aging in French oak barrels adds toasted oak accents to the rich, silky flavors. Created by Tim Mondavi and his winemaking team, Colmera is a tribute to Robert Mondavi’s mother, Rosa, and her native village of Colmeroni. Located on a hill in the Marche region of Italy, this picturesque village is near the ancient city of Sassoferrato Varietal blend: VintageThe La Niña weather pattern of 1999 provided Napa Valley with a long growing season that produced wines of fully developed varietal character. Compared to the El Niño phenomenon in 1998, marked by dramatic changes in weather, this year enjoyed a milder growing season with average rainfall. Cool temperatures delayed budbreak and bloom, and rainy weather during bloom resulted in smaller yields of Sangiovese and Syrah with highly concentrated flavors. The cool season also allowed grapes to retain balanced acidity. Harvest began slowly in mid-September; perfect ripening weather wrapped up the “crush” on November 4. We hand-harvested the Sangiovese grapes from September 30 to October 4; the Syrah on October 4 and the Teroldego on October 22. VineyardWe selected 97% of the grapes from Napa Valley, primarily from vineyards in the Stags Leap District and Oakville AVAs. Sangiovese from the Stags Leap District AVA achieves bright, fruit-focused flavors and excellent balance. We selected deeply pigmented, lushly flavored Syrah from our historic To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville AVA. The small amount of Teroldego, the most rarely planted of the trio, comes from a vineyard planted only to Italian grape varieties in the San Ysidro AVA of Santa Clara County. Fermentation & Aging After early-morning harvesting, we immediately brought the grapes to our winery, located in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains that form the western border of Napa Valley. During destemming and crushing, we retained a percentage of whole berries to contribute spiciness to the wine. We allowed fermentation to begin slowly to develop flavors and gave the wine a total of 25 days skin contact for varietal complexity and natural softening of the tannins. The young wine was then transferred to French oak barrels (35% new oak) for a long malolactic fermentation and 17 months of aging. Midway through aging, we blended the three grape varieties to allow time for seamless integration of varietal flavors and the development of subtle oak nuances. Bottled unfiltered. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi > Our Wines > Wine Description > Winemaker's Notes | |
|
|
|
