2015 Chester-Kidder - 1.5L

Allen Shoup named this wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' director of winemaking and viticulture, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.

An early spring and hot, dry conditions throughout the summer defined the 2015 Columbia Valley growing season.  Building on the success of our canopy management program, we worked with growers throughout the season to hand-prune and trim each vine, which helped protect the grapes from too much afternoon sun and established good airflow inside the canopy.  When fall arrived, conditions returned to a more typical Columbia Valley weather pattern.  Warm autumn days and cool nights finished ripening beautifully, and small, thick-skinned berries marked the vintage and produced outstanding, fruit-forward wines.

Select Cabernet Sauvignon lots underwent an extended maceration of 40 days to produce supple yet firm tannins that stand up to 30 months of barrel aging in tight-grained French oak barrels (85% new).  The extra time in barrel helped to integrate the fruit, enhance the mid-palate with an extra layer of complexity, and provide an appealing earthiness to the finish.