HARVESTED: September 10 – October 9, 2014
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: April 2016
COMPOSITION: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot
ALCOHOL: 13.7%
PRODUCTION: 260 cases
WINEMAKER: Colin McNany
VINTAGE NOTES
In our third straight year of a record breaking drought, bud break began early due to the lack of groundwater available for the vines. However, half of our annual rainfall poured down in the spring when the vines needed it the most. Cold winds during flowering, in combination with drought, reduced the amount of crop / fruit set. However, the rest of the growing season was warm and even, allowing us to carefully harvest at ideal time frames. As yields were slightly down, quality remained incredible, potentially surpassing the last 2 vintages in skin to juice ratio. The August 4th start of harvest in the Santa Cruz Mountains was the earliest in the 70 years of recorded history at Mount Eden.
WINEMAKING NOTES
Salinian Block is 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 American oak for 18-20 months with 100% native malolactic fermentation, the best barrels are carefully selected, benched and compiled into a cuvee. Racked once to tank and gravity feed to bottle.
TASTING NOTES
A classic example of mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon. High tone dark cherries emerge out of the glass, followed by classic juniper berries with green cypress tinge. Silky, yet firm elegant tannins, this wine delivers fleshy red plums and violets throughout the supple finish.
CELLARING
Enjoy between now and 10 years.