86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot

"On the nose, this wine offers fresh blueberry pie, blackberries, Mission figs, lavender and a touch of toasted bread. The palate offers smooth but delicate tannins, bursting with rich blackberry cobbler, stewed black plums, black cherries and toasted walnuts that linger on the finish. This offering is enjoyable today but will also evolve with cellar aging." -Winery Notes

Winemaking

Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45°F for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma and flavor extraction. After inoculation with a select yeast, the grape must (juice, skins and seeds) fermented at 82°F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the 2023 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 20% new French oak and 80% neutral oak for 10 months. The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vintage

The 2023 vintage is being hailed the vintage of a lifetime. Winter and Spring brought roughly forty inches of rain, which provided a boost for Sonoma Valley. This vintage moved California out of a drought and into a good position for years to come. Budbreak arrived 2 weeks later than the 2022 vintage due to the spring rain events. The moisture in the soil led to a perfect flowering condition in the vineyard, which provided an even crop with perfect fruit set. Summer was moderately warm, allowing the grapes on the vine to develop slowly. Autumn had a few hot days, that pushed the vines into perfect maturity, leading to a late harvest season. The consistent summer and fall weather encouraged our Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes to ripen in mid-October.