Wine Article
2005 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages
Last edited on 5/25/2009 by KurtK
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The Vineyards
Cinq Cépages is the flagship wine of Chateau St. Jean. Each year, Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren selects fruit from the finest Bordeaux variety vineyards to craft a wine that showcases the best of Sonoma County. The primary grape sources include Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The Alexander Valley grapes highlight bright berry with back notes of dried herbs, while the Sonoma Valley fruit is from our home vineyard – the St. Jean Estate Vineyard – and brings black and dense mountain fruit to the blend. The Knights Valley fruit adds boysenberry flavors and elegant tannins, and the Dry Creek Valley grapes tend toward dark, dense black cherry and berry fruit flavors with a rich mouthfeel. The Russian River Valley brings exotic aromas and lush textures to complete the blend.
Winemaking
Cinq Cépages (“Five Varieties”) is a Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (11%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Malbec (2%), and Petit Verdot (1%). Each component is aged separately for two years in small French oak barrels (57% new) before blending. Once the wine is assembled, it spends six months in the bottle before release.
Winetasting Comments
This classic Cinq Cépages opens with generous aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and violet. Deep, dense and highly extracted, this wine offers layers of black raspberry, mocha and hints of blueberry. The palate offers a graceful balance between fruit extract and fine-grained tannins. This wine has beautiful oak integration and a lushness throughout that leads to a lingering finish.
Cinq Cépages is the flagship wine of Chateau St. Jean. Each year, Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren selects fruit from the finest Bordeaux variety vineyards to craft a wine that showcases the best of Sonoma County. The primary grape sources include Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The Alexander Valley grapes highlight bright berry with back notes of dried herbs, while the Sonoma Valley fruit is from our home vineyard – the St. Jean Estate Vineyard – and brings black and dense mountain fruit to the blend. The Knights Valley fruit adds boysenberry flavors and elegant tannins, and the Dry Creek Valley grapes tend toward dark, dense black cherry and berry fruit flavors with a rich mouthfeel. The Russian River Valley brings exotic aromas and lush textures to complete the blend.
Winemaking
Cinq Cépages (“Five Varieties”) is a Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (11%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Malbec (2%), and Petit Verdot (1%). Each component is aged separately for two years in small French oak barrels (57% new) before blending. Once the wine is assembled, it spends six months in the bottle before release.
Winetasting Comments
This classic Cinq Cépages opens with generous aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and violet. Deep, dense and highly extracted, this wine offers layers of black raspberry, mocha and hints of blueberry. The palate offers a graceful balance between fruit extract and fine-grained tannins. This wine has beautiful oak integration and a lushness throughout that leads to a lingering finish.