Vinification
The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 40%
whole berries. Prior to yeasting with Bordeaux red yeast, we cold
soaked for 48 hours, increasing the richness and intensity of the
fruit character. Color extraction utilizes a combination of manual
pump overs via a screen during the initial fermentation, with
gentle cap irrigation as the wine goes dry. The grapes were drained
and pressed at dryness. The free-run and press wines were kept
separate. Following fermentation the wine went through malo-lactic
fermentation in the barrel. The wine was aged in 100% French oak,
thin stave barrels for approximately 22 months and racked every
other month to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins.
With no filtration or fining, the wine was laid down in bottle for
at least 12 months aging prior to release.
Vintage Notes
The 2007 growing season was a wonderful year for grape growing.
Overall, it was very dry and cool. Winter temperatures were warmer
than normal into spring resulting in earlier budding, bloom and set
in the vineyards across all varieties. Few days in summer topped
100 degrees, with fewer days in the 90s than normal. This meant
less irrigation, allowing the grapes to mature naturally and
slowly. A brief heat spike around Labor Day added the boost of
sugar development that growers were looking for to complement the
excellent acid. Harvest commenced in mid-August and was evenly
paced. With wines of incredible intensity and concentration, 2007
looks to be the best vintage in many years.
Tasting Notes
Our 2007 vintage is characterized by dark ruby color, firm supple
tannins, good natural acidity and concentrated flavors. Overtones
of black cherry, currant and blackberry in combination with
undertones of chocolate, coffee and pepper meld with the vanilla
and cedar nuances of French oak in waves of complexity. On the
palate the wine is deep and brooding, with great structure and
depth of flavor. The wine has concentrated yet supple tannins, good
fruit and acidity and a persistent finish, contributing to a finely
balanced wine consistent with the classic Bordeaux style of our
prior releases. This vintage shows great potential and promises to
be long lived.
Technical Analysis
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, 100%, Clone 6 Source Beckstoffer
Georges III Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley Harvest Date October
15, 2007 Harvest Sugar 26.3 Brix Harvest Acid 0.45 gm/100ml Total
Acid 0.60 gm/100ml pH 3.64 Alcohol 14.4% Aging 22 months in 100%
French Oak, 86% new Bottle Date July 2009 Production 40 cases
