2006 Broken Stones

"Two thousand six gave us wines that will be forward and open early, with good complexity," said Justin Smith. The cool fall allowed for slow maturation of his grapes, he said, and some welcome late-season rain helped to rejuvenate the vines. In comparison, "2005 is more about structure, with more pronounced tannins. These wines should be drunk after the 2006s, maybe much later." Smith describes 2006 as "a great mourvedre vintage" and was pleased with the warm spell in late October that allowed sugar levels to rise at a steady rate. All of these 2006s spent 20 months on their lees and were only racked for the bottling. Smith also pointed out that he adds no sulfur to the fermenter, and that he relies on the carbonic gas of fermentation to preserve the wines' freshness.