2007 ASSEMBLAGE WINEMAKER NOTES The summer of 2007 was memorable. Spectacular conditions in June - warm, dry and breezy - allowed for a near perfect fruit set and subsequent large yields. It was a long, hot summer with a remarkable stretch of blue skies and plenty of sunshine in late August and throughout September. An intensive regimen of leaf removal (to better expose the fruit to the sun and air) and fruit-thinning, or "green-harvesting", was performed to lower yields and remove unripe fruit. The nearly ideal weather conditions combined with these viticultural practices allowed for the grapes to achieve maximum ripeness. The vineyard yielded about 2.5 to 2.75 tons per acre. The grapes were sent through the crusher-destemmer with the rollers set wide apart to retain a larger number of whole berries. Next, the grapes were sorted to remove MOG (matter other than grape) and any unripe or undesirable fruit. The must was inoculated immediately with both yeast and malolactic bacteria. This practice, called co-inoculation, marks an innovation in the red wine program at Paumanok. It resulted in the completion of malolactic fermentation prior to the completion of alcoholic fermentation. This has the major advantage of allowing the winemaker to rapidly protect the wine with sulfites (as opposed to waiting weeks or months after alcoholic fermentation for malolactic fermentation to complete). Delestage (complete drainage of free run and then irrigating over the cap, also called "rack and return") was done to achieve thorough, gentle extraction while minimizing the extraction of harsher tannins by the elimination of seeds as the cap settles during delestage. This method ensures that only the softest tannins are extracted. After the fermentation was complete, the free run was drained into oak barrels. The must was pressed and, after clarification, was also moved to oak barrels. After 14 months in primarily French oak barrels the Assemblage was bottled. 10% was bottled under screw cap, the remainder under cork. Tasting notes: "Merlot with 22% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc...smells and tastes of ripe blueberry and blackberry tinged with pungent herbs and white pepper. Lean in texture but infectiously juicy and bright as well as palate staining, this concentrated, energetic blend should be worth following for at least a decade." -- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate TECHNICAL INFORMATION Appellation: North Fork of Long Island Variety: 69% Merlot, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc Cooperage: 50% new French oak and 50% older French oak Alcohol: 13.5% pH: 3.59 Total Acidity: 6.7 g/l Harvest Date: October 16, 18, 30 2007 Brix at Harvest: 23.1, 23.8, 24.5 Residual Sugar: 0.1% Bottling Date: May 7, 2009 Release Date: January 15, 2011 Production: 560 cases BUY NOW!