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Welcome to EMH’s website and the release of “Black Cat” 2010!
Our tiny operation produces wine exclusively from Cabernet grapes grown on our less-than-an-acre vineyard, with no additions of purchased fruit. What is in the bottle directly represents what is grown in our vineyard. Most people who taste more than one vintage of EMH's Black Cat are impressed with the consistency of quality and character that emerges from each vintage we produce. We hope you will enjoy the 2010, and that you will discover for yourself what makes the Black Cat so special. EMH 2010 Black Cat Tasting Notes “A bouquet of rich cherry and raspberry, with waves of blueberry, chocolate and rose petal - all within a framework of sweet oak. Medium body, soft tannins – balanced. A rich, long, luscious aftertaste – leaning toward the hedonistic. The flavor profile is signature and classic, conforming to EMH's philosophy of serving terroir; maximal flavor is teased from the fruit, as opposed to being forced into a template or preconceived character. The 2010 has voluptuous fruit, similar at this stage to vintages 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, with the added roundness of vintages 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009. This wine is perhaps slightly more robust at this stage than all but the 2002, 2003 and 2005.” For additional information, see detailed tasting notes in our Wine Section. Notes on Previous Vintages Looking Ahead 2011 and 2012 Everything appeared on track, although we measured a very unofficial 18.5 Brix on August 31 – one day after the actual harvest was completed in the very wonderful 2007, which had been harvested at 25.7 Brix. The flavors were excellent for such low sugars, and no alarms were set off in our minds. September was, however, a lesson in frustration, and it tested the patience one must have to endure this grape farming. Great flavors, browning seeds, and very low Brix were observed during September, which was marked by alternating hot and cool temperatures. The Brix went up and then they went down; the flavors increased and then seemed to dissipate. Then, by the final days of September, we hit a string of days where it all seemed to settle out. An October 3rd harvest date was selected, and as this date was selected (based on observation in the vineyard), the weather forecast came in and called for rain. The first big rain of the season – torrential, really – hit the windshield of my car as I exited the winery, however by that point the year's harvest was safely through crush. Other wineries have other stories to tell about the 2011 growing season, but ours stops here. The wonderful news is that not a single cluster was lost to the weather, and we have seven beautiful barrels of classic EMH Black Cat tucked away in the winery. The formal lab analysis shows the Brix at harvest to have been 23.3, with a resulting 13.7% alcohol. These numbers are reminiscent of the lovely 2001 Black Cat – a wine I would love to enjoy on more occasions than is possible. The 2012 growing season is well underway. It seems more typical or normal, whatever that is. We actually had four difficult growing vintages in a row, but the difficulty of the growing season has little to do with wine quality. At least from this site. The clusters are well-formed and plentiful. We have had hot days and cooler days, but it is still too early to call. You have to love this to do this, that much is certain. So welcome, or welcome back! We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy and cheers! |
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