2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – Estate Grown – Sanel Valley Vineyards, Hopland, CA
As is our custom, these grapes were hand harvested at dawn on the morning of October 23rd 2008. After a very short ride to the crusher they were destemmed and gently crushed into a fermentation tank. The fermentation took place in about two weeks at temperatures averaging in the mid 60s. This is unusually cool for our fermentations but resulted in a wine with great finesse and classic varietal nuances.
After pressing the wine moved to the cellar for aging. I like to use all French oak but will use different levels of toast and neutrality. The goal is to add subtle complexity without over doing the oak. I really detest being able to identify the barrel in a good glass of wine. The wine remained in oak for approximately 18 months prior to bottling.
The resulting finished product is well balanced and classy. Not a big grabs you by the tongue and assaults your mouth kind of wine. That’s not our style. Our vineyard lends itself to a more elegant style that will do well with age. The tannins are there, but they are soft and add the proper dimension to the wine.
I think this 2008 vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our finest and is an indication of the great things to come.
Don’t Drink It Too Soon…………………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
As is our custom, these grapes were hand harvested at dawn on the morning of October 23rd 2008. After a very short ride to the crusher they were destemmed and gently crushed into a fermentation tank. The fermentation took place in about two weeks at temperatures averaging in the mid 60s. This is unusually cool for our fermentations but resulted in a wine with great finesse and classic varietal nuances.
After pressing the wine moved to the cellar for aging. I like to use all French oak but will use different levels of toast and neutrality. The goal is to add subtle complexity without over doing the oak. I really detest being able to identify the barrel in a good glass of wine. The wine remained in oak for approximately 18 months prior to bottling.
The resulting finished product is well balanced and classy. Not a big grabs you by the tongue and assaults your mouth kind of wine. That’s not our style. Our vineyard lends itself to a more elegant style that will do well with age. The tannins are there, but they are soft and add the proper dimension to the wine.
I think this 2008 vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our finest and is an indication of the great things to come.
Don’t Drink It Too Soon…………………….
Jim Milone
Winemaker
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