2003 Moraga Red
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2003 Moraga White Every growing season has its own unique characteristics and the beginning of the 2003 season seemed auspicious, with budbreak occurring the week of March fourteenth, about seven days earlier than most years. Weather during flowering and fruit set proved a bit cool and rainy, preventing the flowers from opening completely and resulting in a crop that was smaller than usual. The season progressed at a moderate pace until September seventh, when an episode of unprecedented heat caused the vines to temporarily shut down in order to conserve water. The result of all this was that the berries remained small, allowing us to produce a wine with more concentration. The remainder of September was cool and overcast, resulting in extended hang time with perfect fruit and tannin development. We began picking the red grapes October seventeenth and concluded harvest October twenty-fifth, making this the shortest harvest interval in Moraga’s history, as well as one of the smallest crops. When the cork was pulled from the bottle to write these notes, the aroma of the wine filled the air before it was even poured into the glass. The effusive nose is filled with Oriental spices, currants, vanilla, and cedar. The small crop resulted in very concentrated flavors of black cherry, currant, vanilla, and a streak of mineral. The flavors carry through on the exceptionally persistent finish. Given this wine’s well-structured concentration, generosity of fruit, and very fine-grained tannins, we expect it to be especially long-lived. The entire Moraga team is extremely proud of this wine and is delighted to share it with you. Moraga’s Red Wine is born of an unusual site, paying homage to Bordeaux with our ancient seabed soils. This coupled with the sunny growing season moderated by the cool seas nearby Santa Monica Bay gives us the opportunity to ripen perfectly the Cabernet and Merlot grapes. Tom Jones, Proprietor |