THE C.R. SANDIDGE WINES
#22 Devil’s Smoke Stack Port
The Blend
Our # 22 Devil’s Smoke Stack was crafted using grapes from two excellent Washington State vineyards. The Petite Sirah was harvested from the Phinny Hill vineyard located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA region. This vineyard site is just south of the town of Benton City. The terroir is well known for growing serious red wine grapes varieties. Only 24 – 36 inches of clay loam top soil exist prior to encountering fractured calcareous basalt, round cobble and finally basalt bedrock. The vineyard growth is easily manipulated as it is easy to water stress the vines. The 2018 vintage Petite Sirah grapes were supplied by the Native River vineyard. This vineyard site is located on the west bank of the Columbia River just south of the Azwell Dam in Chelan County. The soils are varied with some being almost pure sand with a bit of loam while the remainder of the block is sandy with round river rock and a bit of loam.
All fruit was handpicked into ½ ton bins. Within hours, the fruit arrived at the winery to ensure the highest quality possible. All of the grapes were sorted by hand to glean out any damaged fruit. The grapes clusters were destemmed and lightly crushed into one – ton fermentation bins. The yeast fermentation proceeded at temperatures ranging from 50 – 88 degrees Fahrenheit over a ten day period. Once the yeast fermentation reached a Brix reading of 10.5, the wine was pressed off. At 8.5 Brix, a 22 percent brandy add was made to stop the yeast fermentation. The brandy we added was some of our fine Merlot wine which we sent to a distillery for distillation. The malo – lactic fermentation was also stopped due to the high alcohol content. The wine was tightly filtered at bottling. This port style wine is a masterful blend of two different vintages. One aged six years in barrel, the other for four years.
Complex flavors and aromas of raisined purple plums, black cherry and chocolate match perfectly with barrel notes of caramel and sweet vanilla bean. The mouthfeel is full bodied. The presence in your mouth continues long after passing over your palate. This wine may be aged a good 8 to 12 years. Enjoy with the fine blue cheeses or salted – roasted nuts. If you enjoy cigars, a medium to full bodied Maduro will pair beautifully with our port! Thank-you for your friendship and support. Enjoy!!
Wine Specs
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Alcohol Percentage: | 19.5% |
| Acidity: | 5.7 grams per liter |
| pH: | 3.61 |
| Residual Sugar: | 79g/liter |
| AVA: | Columbia Valley |
Non-Member Pricing
Bottle Price: $40.00
Case Discount: 15%
Club Member Pricing
Bottle Price: $32.00
Case Discount: 30%