Vineyard

2006 began with snow and continued wet through the Spring with 26 days of rain in March. Early Summer heat followed by mild temperatures allowed the vineyard to produce excellent fruit. Our harvest came late with our last block of Cabernet picked on October 25.

Cellar

This red wine was produced by fermenting the juice with the skins to extract their color and flavor. CO₂  gas (a by-product of fermentation) bubbled up through the skins causing them to float to the top and form the “cap”. To extract the grapes’ color and flavor, we pumped juice from the bottom of the tank and sprinkled it over the cap throughout fermentation.

Following the Bordeaux tradition of extended maceration, the wine stayed on the skins for another two weeks to soften the young tannins. We then moved the Cabernet into our caves where it was aged in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels. During its first Winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation which lowered its acidity and added richness. In its second year, this Cabernet was aged in both oak barrels and tanks. After many blending trials, we added 2% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec to this Cabernet to increase the wine’s depth and richness. This wine was bottled in August 2007.

Drinkability

At our Annual Vertical Tasting in February 2024, we tasted the 2006 and here are our notes: Lovely. Fresh mint, Bresaola, cassis, dried cherries, hickory, leather, roasted coffee bean, dark chocolate. Rich, chewy, long finish. Well-balanced.

At Harvest:

25.1° Brix sugar
0.81 g/100 mls TA
3.44 pH

At Bottling:

14.3% alcohol
0.61 g/100 mls TA
3.64 pH