2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rockpile • St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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93+ Points | The Wine Advocate | April 2017

Tasting Notes

A big and bold wine with notes of blackberry, toffee, and pastry on the nose and vibrant dark red fruit flavors highlighted with cassis and licorice. This robust wine has lots of structure and body and a long, lingering finish.

Vintage Notes

Warm sunny days throughout the spring and summer months set the stage for a spectacular harvest in September 2014. The lack of rain meant that harvest began a little earlier than normal and was short in length, finishing up by the end of October. The temperate days leading up to harvest produced good yields of high quality fruit with concentrated flavors, complex aromatics and excellent structure.

Vineyard Notes

We’ve sourced Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from vineyards located 1,900 feet above Lake Sonoma in the Rockpile appellation, one of California’s newest and most admired appellations. With only about 160 planted acres, Rockpile is also one of the smallest AVAs in the United States. Climbing up the northern border of Dry Creek Valley, Rockpile’s high elevation, extreme terrain, and unique climate make it an exceptional grape-growing region producing remarkable, concentrated fruit.

Winemaker Notes

All grapes are gently de-stemmed before cold-soaking for two days to extract optimal color and flavor. The fruit is fermented in separate lots, allowing each lot to be individually and distinctly crafted before being aged in French oak barrels, 80% new. The wine is kept in a barrel for 20 months before final blending.