2012 marks the first vintage of the Kuhlken-Osterberg series. Named KO after the founders of Pedernales Cellars, we bring you these wines to share with you our experiences of wine and winemaking here in Texas. The intention is that this series will illuminate not only the distinct place from where these vines grow in a way that is unique to our founders and only to these very wines, but also that it will highlight the time. We planted Tinta Amarela in our estate vineyard in 2007 with the goal of starting an authentic port program modeled in the traditions of Portugal. We have also fallen in love with Tinta Amarela's distinct floral and tar notes and it’s thick skin and firm tannins make it a perfect variety for dry and age-worthy wines. Our Tinta Amarela was lovingly hand-harvested from our estate vineyard in Fredericksburg as the sun rose—picking in the early morning hours help protect and preserve the fruit in a number of ways. We fermented in macro bins after a gentle crush, and performed manual punch downs three times a day until pressing off at dryness. With a variety this big, we felt it would be best complemented with New French and American Oak barrels. Aging was about a year and a half before blending trials began and the 2012 KO was finalized and hand bottled.