For this reason, we farm our vineyards according to the soil, the aspect and the slope and location within the region we want each vineyard to express its unique character. The French oak gives more backbone and overall complexity and is a nice enhancer of the more subtle textures of our Alexander Valley Cab.Īlexander Valley is an appellation where vineyards that are just next door to each other can yield dramatically different results. This wine will see about 40% new French oak for up to 14 months. When dry, we then press gently and let the new wine settle out for 24 hours before putting down for aging. We keep temperatures warm enough to extract flavors and color but not so hot as to blow off the delicate, ephemeral aromas that don’t stand up to hot fermentations. When the grapes are deemed ripe, we harvest them and bring them to the winery as quickly as possible, where they are destemmed then fermented in stainless steel vats for at least 12 days total.

This takes observation using all of one’s senses, including sight (are the clusters getting too raisined- might be time to pick), touch (how soft are the clusters?) and even sound (how crunchy are the seeds- what sound do they make when we bite them?). We do not harvest based on “the numbers” (degrees Brix, acidity, etc) but on a myriad of factors including tannin and flavor development, and the appearance of the clusters and vine.

Clone 5 cabernet 2014