Greetings friends! We are proud to announce the release of our 2nd vintage, the 2019 "Manteo-Nason-Tatum". Click here for purchase and delivery information.
The Vintage
The summer of 2019 seems so long ago now, but a wonderful thing about wine is that, like tree rings, it can provide a sensorial record of the season that transpired. A frost-free April gave us an uneventful bud-break. A warm and rainy May saw us busy in the vines, pruning and thinning the shoots to let the air and sunshine in. In mid-June, the rains stopped -- pretty much for good. July sweltered, August baked and September see-sawed between hot and unseasonably warm -- all with hardly a thunderstorm to show for our troubles. The deer were thirsty and pummeled the ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, and the bear feasted on the Petit Verdot. Yields were down significantly (nearly 30% loss in the Cabernet), but what remained was superbly ripe.
The Wine
This vintage is a blend of 55% Petit Verdot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were sourced from two vineyards on the east side of Mount Alto: the rocky Manteo-Nason soils of Mount Alto Vineyards, and the more clay-blessed Tatum silt loam on the hilltop O’Brien Family Vineyard. The Cabernet provides intense aromatics and fine tannins, while the Petit Verdot brings richness and concentration. This wine is an absolute pleasure to drink now but it has the makings of a wine that will continue to improve with age.
Ordering Information
We really appreciate your support of our project, and we are excited to share this wine with you. Because of the limited quantity in this release, purchases are limited to 3 bottles per customer, at a cost of $32 per bottle (plus tax). Click here for purchase and delivery information.
All the best,
Mount Alto Vineyards