I mentioned earlier that the 2005 Velocity and 2007 Velo have very similar blend percentages. Why bottle them under different labels, and why is there such a difference between the wines?

The 2005 vintage was marked by low yields and moderate overall temperatures, but was blessed with a dry fall to allow maximum “hang-time” for the fruit, and therefore full development of flavors and tannins. Fruit came in right up to Halloween during cooling but sunny weather. The resulting lots provided me with a very limited supply of elegant, structured wines from which to assemble a more muscular than usual Velocity.

The 2007 vintage, however, dealt such a different hand than 2005, with cooler weather, higher yields, and mid-October rains which brought the harvest to a quick end. Several vineyard blocks were younger, and we began working with the more fruit-forward clone 9 Malbec. Thus the flavor profile for 2007 was brighter, fruitier, lower-alcohol, and (to use my all-encompassing term for wines of Velo’s nature) “friendlier”.