Blackberries lead the nose to notes of smoke and forest floor. On the palate, firm tannins support cassis and sweet vanilla, with a strong black fruit finish.
Steak, roast lamb, beef and venison are classic pairing partners. Grilled red meats are particularly complimentary—substitute portobella for a lighter, vegetarian option.
90 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
88 points, Wine Spectator
2 tons of Cab Sauvignon were harvested on 11/10/15, with chemistry (after 4 days of cold soak) of 22.9 Brix, a TA of 7.7, and a pH of 3.50. It was crushed, de-stemmed, and pumped to 3 wooden bins, which were chilled. After the 4-day cold soak, the musts were warmed and inoculated. The fermentations lasted for 7 days with 2 or 3 punch downs per day, and temperatures that peaked between 88 and 93F. They were pressed on 11/21/15 then racked to barrels 8 to 12 days later. The barrels included 7 older French oak barrels, and 2 3rd-use French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated with malo-lactic culture on the day of racking into barrel days later, and ML finished by early January.
The Merlot fruit was harvested on October 17, 2015 (21.4 Brix, pH of 3.35), and the Cabernet Franc fruit was harvested on 10/27/15 (TA 6.4 g/L, and a pH of 3.55).
The wine was racked from barrel and blended on August 3, 2016, after 8-9 months barrel aging, and was chilled to 35F for 2 weeks for cold stabilization. It was coarse filtered off the tartrates, then sterile filtered at bottling on 08/25/16.
Appellation: Finger Lakes
Varietal Composition: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.3% Merlot, .6% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 13.4%
Residual Sugar: 0.3%
Acid: 6.1 g/L
pH: 3.38
Harvest Date: November 10, 2015
Bottling Date: August 25, 2016
Cases Produced: 191.5
Vegan Friendly: Yes
