2018 BURLY Cabernet Sauvignon (Sciandri Vineyard)
Tasting Notes
Aromas of dark plum, cassis and anise meld seamlessly with savory dried herbs. The mouth transforms into raspberry sweetness and a mineral note. This palate coating wine has a great toasted oak long finish. Wonderful now, this wine will however benefit from further bottle ageing reaching its peak in 3 to 6 years but drinkable for 10 years.
Making the Wine
The grapes came in small-berried, deep black-blue and loose on the clusters. Following a five day cold soak, the fermentation took seven days followed by a fourteen day extended maceration. After which the wine was pressed and transferred to small French Oak barrels for aging. The wine was bottled in summer 2020 after twenty months of maturation in barrel.
Wine Facts
| Harvest Date: | October 19, 2018 |
| Bottled Date: | August 2020 |
| Barrels | 80% New French Oak |
| Alcohol: | 14.8% |
| Brix: | 26.5° |
| pH: | 3.74 |
| Titratable Acidity: | 6.0 g/L |
Vineyard
Our Cabernet Grapes came from The Sciandri Vineyard in the Coombsville area just east of the city of Napa. The 4 acre vineyard, planted with clone 337 has a western exposure that stays cool thru influences of the San Pablo Bay. This allows for long hang time that usually harvests at the end of October. The soil is well drained rocky hillside, primarily Hambright-Rock outcrop complex and Coombs gravelly loam.
Weather
The year started with great rains. Bud break was a bit late, fruit set was even larger than normal. Typical ripening season with sunny warm days and cool marine nights, no major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created ideal conditions to allow fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels.
