2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

All of the grapes for this wine were hand-picked. Then they were de-stemmed, sorted, and pumped into a tank for a five-day cold soak at 50°. When the fermentation began, we pumped over the tank twice per day.  Native yeast fermentation lasted for 16 days, followed by a short heated extended maceration of 3 days. The free run was drained from the tank overnight. The wine was barreled down into 90% new French oak and 10% once-used barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel.  This wine was barrel-aged for 24 months and bottled unfiltered.

In 2017, the year began with abundant rainfall, followed by a mild Spring resulting in extended flowering with little shatter. A Labor Day weekend heatwave kicked harvest into high gear; then, cool weather allowed sugar levels to return to normal.