“Les Feuilles de Vignes” by Richard Mendelson
Style
The Mendelsons take special care in producing their wines. Fermentation and aging take place in one of Napa's oldest stone wineries, dating from 1878. Winemaker Charles Hendricks is meticulous about selecting the grapes at their optimum maturity and balance, even if that means taking several passes through the vineyards. The Mendelson Pinot Noir is aged for 14 months in new French oak barrels.
For the Mendelson dessert wines the mutage (addition of spirit) to the fermenting must is done gradually so that the spirit integrates with the wine. And the selection of spirit varies from year to year, depending on the character of the particular vintage and vineyard. At any one time there are three or four spirits in the cellar to choose from, including the finest brandies distilled for us in Alambic pot stills.
The resulting wines demonstrate the class and elegance which we bestow upon them.