HARVESTED: September 12 – October 5, 2017
VINEYARD LOCATION: Los Altos Hills (chest-thick 50+yr old vines), Saratoga, Los Gatos.
SOILS: ranging from deep clay to sandy loam to broken granite
BOTTLED: May 2019, 584 cases
COMPOSITION: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
ALCOHOL: 13.8%
WINEMAKER: Colin McNany
VINTAGE NOTES
The winter rains brought a joyful end to a 5 year drought, with coastal areas of the mountains receiving as much as 100 inches. The wet winter brought incredible growth and healthy vigor to the vines, and anything else that wanted to grow in the vineyards. The vineyard crews had to balance the workload between canopy management, floor management and weed control. Bud break came in mid-March and bloom followed in late May. Harvest came at the end of August, spurred by a heat wave in the triple digits for several days. The severe heat spiked sugar levels even with the premeditated addition of irrigation to help the vines and grapes ride through the heat. Harvest was quickly sent into overdrive with grapes flying into the winery by the truckload. All said and done, the quality looks and tastes amazing.
WINEMAKING NOTES
A cuvee of our highest end Cabernet vineyards and barrels. Each lot is destemmed, 100% whole berry and hand sorted. Isolated ferments are cold soaked for 5 days, inoculated in open top fermenters with commercial strains, and kept on skins up to 25 days via extended maceration. Aged in a combination of high end French and Hungarian oak for 18 months with 100% native malolactic fermentation, the best barrels are carefully selected, benched and compiled. Racked once to tank and gravity feed to bottle.
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TASTING NOTES
A classic example of mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Dusty dried cherries, fresh pomegranate, rose petals and juniper berries aromatically infuse for an intoxicating bouquet. Elegant and firm, the lignified tannins mix with bright acidity to deliver fleshy red plums and blueberries in a supple finish.
CELLARING
Enjoy between 4-6 years.