VINEYARD:  Cabernet Sauvignon and other hearty red varietals thrive in the rocky loam soil of Stone Farm Vineyard; as the vines expend most of their energy to yearn deep into the ground for water the vigor of the vine is held at bay.  The warm Glen Ellen location allows our Cabernet Sauvignon to grow to full maturity while maintaining a desirable low yield.
 
VINIFICATION: This wine underwent a 20-day maceration on skins to build body and mouthfeel.  The wine
was then aged in French and American oak for 16 months before being bottled in May 2004.  Alcohol 14.3%
, pH 3.84, Total Acidity .54, Residual sugar .03%.

VINTAGE: Vintage 2002 started wet, even before the calendar said it was 2002 - we almost had our season
al average of rain before the New Year – with January and February being unusually dry and typically cold. We had light rain at the end of March that slowed down budbreak but without causing any major problems. Unsettled weather through spring kept things interesting. More cool weather in May extended bloom, which could have caused uneven ripening. At the end of May we were about two weeks behind 2001.Veraison began in late July, later than average, but earlier than 1998 and 1999. Moving into the final stages of the growing season we were in pretty good shape considering that our summer had been fairly mild. 2002 was a vintage won in the vineyard, beginning shortly after budbreak with shoot thinning, and  through the season with crop thinning to balance the vines and eliminate any damaged or delayed fruit. This work by our growers allowed us to bring in ripe, uniform, high quality fruit with intense flavors and nice natural acid levels.