The Clones
The fruit for our Reserve Cabernet emphasizes two of our prized hillside blocks: Block 8 and Block 6. The vines on Blocks 8 were planted in 1997 to the famed Belle Terre field selection, which provides striking notes of high-toned red berry fruit. Block 6 was planted in 1998 to Clone 7, and adds floral layers and classic Cabernet cassis and cherry elements.
The Vintage
2018
After a wet spring that energized the vines, summer brought consistently warm weather to Sonoma County. Our vineyard set an average size crop, and thanks to a full canopy, we had ideal shade on the fruit. As a result, our vines produced pristine grapes, with excellent natural acidity, lovely balance, and pure varietal flavors.
Winemaking
Both of the hillside blocks were hand-sorted and then individually fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters. The wines were racked to our very finest French oak barrels for aging, with 50% of the oak being new. After 12 months, six of the “free-run” barrels were selected and were blended, and then returned to barrels for an additional nine 8 months of extended aging.
