Wines

Winemakers

Education

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

Vintage

2001 may be remembered as a comeback vintage. After cool and late vintages from '98 through '00 we welcomed a warmer, earlier harvest. The growing season began with a late frost that damaged grapes in locations where frost usually isnÕt a concern. Few vineyards were affected but in those few cases, damage was severe. Once over that hurdle the growing season was much improved, bloom saw nearly perfect conditions for fruit set and we had a long, warm summer. Like so many harvests 2001 had its ups and downs - a heat spike in late August and early September drove sugar levels ahead of flavor development and all varieties were looking like they would ripen at once. On September 9th things cooled down through the end of the month which allowed flavors to develop in red varieties and gave time to harvest early reds. On the 1st and 2nd of October the heat came back to push the late reds over the hump. The last lots of grapes were crushed by mid-October to mark the earliest finish since 1997 and with similar quality. Across the board the 2001 vintage produced rich ripe wines with great intensity and structure.

Vinification

Grape lots of all five Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec - from several benchland and mountain ranches that naturally yield smaller crops and give more intense wine. In the winery we used a variety of techniques to maximize extraction while managing tannin levels. These include cold soaking, pump over/punch down, length of fermentation as well as temperature of fermentation. The wine was aged in primarily American oak with some French for 15 months. Alcohol 13.9%, Total acidity .59, pH 3.76, Residual sugar .02.

Tasting Notes

This version is full bodied, round, and intensely flavored, tasting of cherry, cedar, tobacco, toast, herbs, and blackberry. Enjoy this wine with rabbit stew, beef tortillas, roast venison, and barbecued lamb.