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Tasting Notes
This is an elegant and focused Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of cassis, baking spices and cocoa on the nose. Flavors of black cherry, wild blackberries and bittersweet chocolate merge with notes of graphite and sage, preceding a rich and lengthy finish with refined tannins and structure.
Vintage Notes
Cooler temperatures and an abundance of spring rains in 2023 pushed back the first day of harvest to the beginning of September. The later start and extra ripening time for the fruit allowed flavors and color to develop slowly for depth and concentration. Warm fall days spread out harvest to the end of October for many of the red varieties, with a final pick of Merlot delivered to the winery on November 2.
Vineyard Notes
The fruit for our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is grown at high elevations on sloped hillsides with good drainage. Climbing as high as 1400 feet along the sun-drenched, westernfacingslopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, the fruit sits well above the fog line. Naturally protected from the wind, the area’s dry, hot days combine with bracingly cold nights which puts an element of stress on the vines resulting in small clusters, small berries and intensified flavors.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes were hand-sorted and underwent a two-day cold soak prior to fermentation to extract optimal color and flavor. After primary fermentation, the wine was then aged in French oak barrels, 45% new, where it underwent malolactic fermentation, followed by 20 months of aging before bottling.
