Black Elephant Vintners Three Men In a Tub Red Blend

The grapes are hand-harvested and cooled overnight in a cold room. After destemming, they are transferred to fermentation containers or barrels. The berries are not crushed, and 15% whole grapes are added to each fermenter. The grape must is macerated for a few days before spontaneous fermentation begins, lasting up to twelve days. To extract color, flavor, and tannins from the grape skins, the must is manually mixed daily. A short maceration after fermentation is allowed to soften and integrate the tannins. During this phase, the wine is drained, the skins are pressed with an old basket press, and then transferred directly to malolactic fermentation and aging in barrels. After the malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is racked to remove all solids and then aged for 16 months. After that, the final cuvée is blended and aged for another three months before bottling. The wine undergoes a light fining with egg whites and filtration before bottling.

In this trio of classic grape varieties, the Old and New Worlds meet. Lovely notes of bell pepper, hoisin, cedar smoke, black cherry, vanilla, and jam. The palate reflects the nose with black plum, mulberry, dark fruit, clove, and sweet tobacco. It can age for at least another five years.