Estate fruit harvested from the northern reaches of Dry Creek Valley, where these Bordeaux varietals excel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot were hand-picked just a mile from the winery. Here these varietals develop exceptional character on the vineyard sites situated on the valley bench. The vines receive the right amount of sun and cooling fog which develops optimal flavors in the grapes. Careful vineyard management during the growing season defines our style even more.

Good growing season conditions came in 2016 with enough rain during spring and an even summer which brought good hang time at the end of the season in order to fully mature the grapes. Grapes were harvested over the third week of September and came in with good acid balance and mature tannins bringing high intensity of aromatics and flavors. The addition of estate Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot adds levels of flavor and fruit characteristics to this Bordeaux blend. Grapes are de-stemmed, fully crushed, and cold soaked for 48 hours.

The must is inoculated with the Bordeaux yeast strain and fermented/ macerated in stainless steel tanks. The fermenting juice is pumped over the cap daily for extraction of color, tannins and flavor until dry. Once pressed it is stored until barreled in the winter. 65% of our Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in American oak barrels for sixteen months in order to develop smoothness and complexity. An additional 35% was aged in new French oak to provide a subtle backbone of vanilla and
toasted oak highlights.

Specifications
Vintage: 2016
Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Barrel Aging: 16 months in American oak combined with 35% new French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.75
Total Acidity: .570g/100ml

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