Nose
Beautifully structured, this stylish Cabernet immediately impresses with its aromatic purity, displaying savory cigar box and graphite, with pretty rose and black currant.
Palate
In the mouth, espresso flavors underpin black plum, lavender, and blueberry notes. Robust yet polished, it concludes with a persistent finish.
Growing Conditions
This Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the diversity of terroir in the Walla Walla Valley from vineyards planted in: Fractured basalt - Estate Ferguson, Thin loess over ice-age flood silts - Summit View, Deep, wind-blown loess - Estate Seven Hills & Loess, and The Rocks - Yellow Jacket & Waliser.
Harvest
Perfectly dry harvest weather extended hang-time resulting in rich color and vibrant fruit flavors, another great vintage for Washington State. A late bud-break in mid April was followed by a warm May with rapid canopy growth. A quick, even bloom set a uniform crop. A cool June contributed to healthy berry growth. July and early August were warm, with occasional heat spikes. Canopies were managed to avoid sunburn and irrigation was micromanaged. Intense cluster thinning was required to control yields. Veraison tracked 2017 in Walla Walla and was slightly ahead in other regions of the state. A brief rainfall shifted early September into cooler weather leading to two months of near-perfect weather conditions for final fruit maturity. Higher sugars were balanced against higher acid levels and wonderfully intense color and tannin extraction, big fruit flavors, and overall balanced structure. Another strong Washington vintage.
Bottling
Bottling Date: July 6, 2020.
Winemaking
Each lot was hand-harvested ripe and gently crushed into 1.5 ton stainless steel fermenters. Gentle handling of the fruit through hand punch downs and gravity-assisted movements were utilized throughout the entire winemaking process. The wine was cleanly racked entirely to small French oak barrels, 35% new, with four rackings over 18 months.
