94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
92 Points - Wine Spectator
We recommend decanting for a few hours before enjoying.
Will age gracefully in the cellar for 15-20 years.
WINEMAKING
The 2015 Mancino Lanciatore is a stunning wine of power and concentration. Its name translated from Italian means "left-handed thrower" and is an ode to our proprietor, Thomas Leonardini, Sr. and several other left-handed Leonardinis. Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45 degrees for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma, and flavor extraction. After inoculation, the grape must (juice, skins, and seeds) fermented at 82 degrees, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was sent to 65% new French oak, 35% neutral oak barrels, aging for 26 months. The final blend for the 2015 Mancino Lanciatore is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. At bottling, this wine was unfined and unfiltered.
VINTAGE
The 2015 vintage started with very little rainfall prior to bud break, enabling the vintage to be considered a drought year. Drought years often lead to less vegetative growth and more focused fruit development, which is always a great thing for winemakers. Spring was cooler than expected and in turn affected the fruit set and potential yields. Even though yields in the vineyards were down, this provided the winemaking team with increased concentration of tannins and flavors from the grapes. Summer was relatively warm and allowed the fruit to ripen at a steady pace and by September and October, the grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot in this wine were harvested from their Oak Glen, Leonardini, Millennium MM, Whitehall Lane, and Fawn Park Estate vineyards.
Winemaker: Jason Moulton
Vintage: 2015
Appellation: 100% Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 15.1%
92 Points
Aromas of blackberry, dried fig, black cherry, blackberry coulis, toasted vanilla, and a hint of cigar box. The palate offers rich and velvety tannins, dark chocolate-covered cherries, black plum, mixed berry pie and toasted walnut. Long and expressive with loads of flavor.
94 Points, Wine Enthusiast
This opulent wine opens with aromas of blackberry, black plum, violets and spice on the nose. Flavors on the palate of dark cherry, sarsaparilla and orange zest wrap around dried tobacco leaf, malt chocolate and toasted vanilla, with a long, supple finish.
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