2002 Crescendo™ Meritage
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Grape Variety: 34% Cabernet Sauvignon 24% Merlot 14% Cabernet Franc 18% Malbec 10% Petite Verdot

Appellation: Paso Robles

Analysis Alcohol: 14.2% pH: 3.59 TA: .638 g/100ml RS: 0.0%

Harvest Dates: 9/07/02—11/15/02 Six vineyards harvested

Barrel Ageing: 20 months 66% new, 34% 1 year old oak barrels 55% French, 45% American

Cases Produced: 1,032 six packs

Tasting Notes
Our 2002 Crescendo Meritage represents a new era in winemaking at Norman Vineyards. Our best lots of fruit were used to make this extremely complex wine—our “Elite Collection” Meritage. It opens with a beautiful nose of currants and black cherry, which are soon joined by nuances of cloves, vanilla, tobacco and a touch of cedery oak. The palate is multidimensional with nice round fruit tannins and lasting touches of cherry, chocolate and spice. The wine is lovely to drink today and should age well over the next 4-7 years. A very food friendly wine, Crescendo also shows wonderfully alone. Its many facets make it a good choice for many dishes, from grilled meats to full flavored pastas. Be the star of your next party and bring the best from Norman Vineyards and Paso Robles. Vintage 2002 The 2002 Vintage in Paso Robles got off to a late start, with bud break one to three weeks later than usual. Our spring and early summer weather was slightly cooler than normal, pushing back fruit development of some varieties, and allowing natural acid levels to maintain themselves while the grapes matured. August and September saw slightly below average temperatures leading up to harvest, which began for Norman the first week of September. The overall vintage quality was excellent with the cool weather allowing good fruit maturity without excessive sugar and alcohol development. Winemaking Six vineyards were harvested and aged separately for 20 months to make this wine; two of Merlot, and one each of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. Fermentation began with a two day cold soak, followed by 6 to 8 days of fermentation at 85 degrees. The wines were left on the skins for 10 to 14 days before being pressed and settled for three days and put down to barrel. All wines were racked three times during ageing to remove sediment and add air to soften their tannins and help them mature.