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2005 Cabernet, Estate Reserve

Perhaps the British actress and socialite, Lady Diana Cooper, said it best: “First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful.” That’s how we feel about our oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines. As yields slowly ebb, the fruit we harvest is increasingly intense. In 2005 we were so impressed with the flavors and colors of the grapes from our most senior vines that we decided to take the extracted juice and let it mellow in special barrels. Over time, we knew it was something unique, so we decided to make our very first Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. And it is nothing short of splendid.

This wine is heady with chocolate overtones — reminiscent of black cherries enrobed in rich, dark chocolate. It’s more opaque in color than our traditional Cabernet, a result of a more concentrated extraction. We love it now, but with its superb tannin structure, we highly recommend laying it down for two to three years minimum. Be sure to purchase a few extra bottles for the cellar — as it matures, it will be a blockbuster wine.

Méthode: As always, the grapes were field crushed and allowed to ferment in three-quarter ton lots. Each lot was punched down by hand four to five times a day for 20 days. The wine was then pressed into 70% new French oak barrels (Taransaud). We aged the wine for 24 months before bottling. Afterward, it aged another 12 months before its release in November of 2008.