Packed with layered flavors of blackcurrant and dark cherry, the palate is supple and lively while still exemplifying classic Cab structure. A bottled still life of the little block of Cabernet on our red-soiled hillside by the house: "Dry Creek Valley 2016". For over 35 years our style has remained the same: balanced with moderate alcohol, built to age and pair with food. This wine is no exception. As we like to say around here... it’s a lifestyle thing.
95% Cabernet, 5% Merlot from our 27-year-old vines planted in gravelly, clay loam soil on the hillside behind the winery.
2016 was an exemplary vintage. The growing season got off to an early start giving vines a little more hang time during ripening. Moderate summer conditions allowed for slow, even ripening and optimal flavor/acid balance. Overall, berries exhibited deep flavors with excellent tannin structure and a freshness only a good year can impart.
Fermented in small bins and aged for 12 months in neutral French oak with an additional 6 months in 50% new French oak.
NOSE: Dark cherry, plum, and cassis with a slight hint of tobacco
TASTE: Packed with layered flavors of blackcurrant and fresh cherries, the palate is supple and lively while still exemplifying classic Cab structure.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium to full body with juicy tannins, but not over-the-top.
FINISH: Smooth and long lasting.
Bottled March, 2018
Cases Produced 120
Alcohol 13.7%
pH 3.43
TA 7.0 g/L