VINTAGE NOTES
The
winter of 1996/1997 was another year of heavy rain which fell primarily
from December through April. Warm soil temperatures in the spring
initiated early budbreak and flowering. A relatively cool summer
notwithstanding, fruit ripened with a steady persistence and crush
began weeks prior to past years. A brief shower gave way to warmer
days at summer's end, giving the fruit an opulent richness. We never
rely solely on lab analysis to determine ripeness, and the large
crop in 1997 required careful daily tasting of every vine. There
are areas of the vineyard in which we stopped the pickers in the
middle of a row, since full flavor development had not yet occurred
beyond that point.
"FAY vineyard, lying directly below the Stags Leap palisades,
borders S.L.V., our estate vineyard that produced the famed 1976
Paris Tasting winner. It was the taste of Nathan Fay's 1968 Cabernet
that led Warren Winiarski to search for vineyard land in the area.
Purchased by the Winiarski family in 1986, the advanced age of much
of the vineyard required replanting. When Nathan Fay planted the
land in 1961, it was the first vineyard planted to Cabernet Sauvignon
in what is today's Stag's Leap District. FAY Vineyard soils are
rocky, volcanic and alluvial, with greater variations than those
found in the S.L.V. The viticultural principles applied vary with
the different sections. The newest viticultural practices have guided
us in our replanting from root to tendril. As the vineyard begins
its growing season, we farm vine-by-vine, training each according
to its strengths and weaknesses with an eye to distributing vine
energy equally through the shoots. As shoot growth becomes more
uniform, we change our focus to the evolving fruit. By continually
adjusting number of leaves and grape berries we maximize uniform
ripening. As harvest approaches, we are farming cluster-by-cluster,
making sure that each is in the best condition to achieve the highest
expression of ripe fruit flavors."
- Michael Silacci, Winemaker, and
Julia Winiarski, Assistant Winemaker, 9/00
 WINEMAKING NOTES
Harvested
between 8/29 and 9/7 at 23.7° Brix. Fermented in tank; 100%
malolactic fermentation; 22 months in French oak barrels.
"Tasting FAY is like opening a great novel in front of
the fireplace. It has concentrated fruit aromas and flavors; the
integration of richness and structure is seamless. FAY wines are
perfumed by radiant berry characteristics, whose flavors reveal
themselves like the mysterious characters that they are. The aromas
are lavish, evocative of ripe loganberry, black currant, crushed
lavender and French vanilla bean. A supple entry of resonating fruit,
spice, oak highlights and tannins caress the tongue long after the
wine is swallowed, creating pure enchantment."
- Michael Silacci, Winemaker, and
Julia Winiarski, Assistant Winemaker, 9/00
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