We are often asked how well our wines will age, and frankly, growing grapes on Mount Alto is such a new phenomenon that long-term ageability is anyone’s guess. But, we DO save some of our wines and revisit them as often as our tiny stockpile allow, and so, we will keep updating this table as time goes on.
| Vintage | Weather | Phenology | Status/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 22" total rain: Dry early, dry mid-season, harvested in 3 phases separated by 2 hurricanes | Bud Break 4/20, Bloom 5/28, Veraison 7/31, Harvest 9/12-9/21 | Early release of merlot heavy blend showing a ton of fruit and tannin. Totally drinkable now, and very exciting on the palate due to youthful tannins and copious fruit. Because the tannins are very prominent this wine benefits from food. Tannins should settle down in 1-3 years and should age nicely though at least 2030, maybe even 2035? (we will update this as time goes on!) |
| 2023 | 30" total rain, distributed in massive chunks with 13" falling in a 10 day period in july, and another 4" falling 2 weeks before harvest. | Bud break 4/15, Bloom 5/24, Veraison 8/1, Harvest 9/28 | As of late winter 2026, this wines tannic structure is smoothing out, and feeling assertive and silky, very pleasant mouthfeel. The aroma shows heavy on herbacious aspects now (cocoa, pepper, floral), and the fruit is somewhat subdued, though begins to emerge after an hour or two decanting. Pleasant to drink now, and should age well though 2030, and will be interesting to see if fruit aromas re-emerge as the tannins continue to settle. |
| 2022 | 23" rain. Storms were frequent yet moderate through most of the season, with a nice stretch of warm and dry weather at harvest. | Bud break 4/16, Bloom 5/28, Veraison 7/30, Harvest 9/23 | This wine was aged in barrel for 31 months and has a modest structure, with very ripe yet sparse tannins, and has drunk beautifully since bottling in early 2025. Texturally similar to 2018, but a little more muscular. Maybe this won't age as long since the tannin levels are low? It is so pleasant now, there is no need to age it, though setting aside a bottle 2030 could be a fun experiment. |
| 2021 | 23" of rain during the growing season, a cool August and early September, a string of 90 degree days before harvest. | Bud break 4/30, Bloom 6/5, Veraison 8/4, Harvest 9/19 | We have very little of this wine left, so we drink it infrequently! A more tannic wine than 2022, but similarly precocious, drinking well from the day of bottling in early 2023. A little less fruit forward now, but still tastes "youthful", so it should last through 2029? |
| 2020 | 34" of rain. Greeted by a killing frost after bud-break, calamatously rainy throughout, and extremely cold from August through harvest. | Bud break 4/15, Bloom 6/2, Veraison 8/8, Harvest 10/15 | Another wine that we have sadly drank through out library, so, we can only revisit it rarel;y. That said, our most recent tasting showed that the tannic structure was still going strong. Perhaps the "finest" tannins that we've grown, they could carry this wine for many years despite the light body that resulted from the soggy weather. This will be one for rolling the dice on -- we will definitely be holding at least 1 bottle through 2030. |
| 2019 | 16" rainfall, hot and dry, with only 2" of rain from July through harvest. | Bud Break 4/20, Bloom 5/24, Veraison 7/27, Harvest 9/18-9/22 | Showing mature, but not in the least bit tired as of fall 2025. This is a rich and ripe wine from a warm and dry vintage that still shows a strong tannic structure. Beginning to show some "bottle bouquet" aromas, so perhaps it is entering a window of "drink now". That said, the structure is still strong and perhaps that will propel it for several more years? |
| 2018 | 27" rain. A relentlessly wet vintage, culminating with harvest during a gulf hurricane remnant. | Bud break 4/26, Bloom 5/25, Veraison 7/25, Harvest 9/11 | Drink now. Our first vintage, young vines, very modest tannins, light body. And yet, drinking at its peak in late 2025. I think the jig is up though, and it is time to drink this wine, as it seems to tire towards the end of the evening. |