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Moon Mountain District
92 pts | Wine Enthusiast
92 pts | Harvest Terroir Challenge
Gold | Harvest Terroir Challenge
Best of Class | Harvest Terroir Challenge
Best of Moon Mountain District | Harvest Terroir Challenge
Tasting Notes
This deep and luxurious wine teases raspberry and cacao on the nose before opening to a rich and full palate. Earthy notes of walnut and toasted almond mingle with an undertone of deep blue fruits. The mouthfeel is soft, coating the palate with a ganache-like quality, leaving flavors of rich chocolate and cassis behind chewy tannins.
Vintage Notes
The 2020 growing season enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions. With minimal rain this winter, the vines were awakened with ideal moderate spring-time temperatures, which eliminated any frost threat to the developing buds. At most sites, fruit set was during the optimal timeframe due to warm, consistent conditions. Veraison occurred 7-10 days earlier than previous years due to the temperate weather and minimal rain. Moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights throughout the summer months, with a few of the normal short-lived heat spikes, allowed for excellent flavor development. The year saw an early harvest, with 90% of the region’s grapes being picked before the late Fall.
Vineyard Notes
The fruit for this robust Cabernet Sauvignon comes from one of Sonoma’s newest American Viticultural Areas (AVA), Moon Mountain District of Sonoma County. This striking region is lauded for its high elevation vineyards and rugged, volcanic soil. Rising from 400 to 2200 feet on the western side of the Mayacamas, the Moon Mountain District has thin, fast-draining soil and hot, dry summer days, ideal conditions to grow deeply colored grapes with intense, concentrated flavors.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes underwent a two-day cold soak to extract optimal color and flavor and each individual component was fermented separately to optimize structure and tannin integration. Secondary malolactic fermentation occurred in French oak barrels, 44% new, followed by 15 months of aging before final blending and bottling.
