BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2%
Malbec from estate-owned vineyards (66%) and independent growers (34%).
WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Grapes were harvested between September 26 – October 24, 2006 at an average 25.5o Brix, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged 19 months in a combination of 50% new French and American oak barrels and 50% two-year-old oak. Coopers include Dargaud
Jaegle, Sylvain, Demptos, Taransaud, Vicard, Nadalie, Canton and Kelvin.
The inky, purple-black color of the 2006 Cabernet yields rich, bright fruit on the nose and is layered with ripe blackberry, red plum, cream, tobacco and anise aromas followed by juicy, ripe raspberry and rich, dark fruit flavors. Sweet tannins are nicely integrated and the wine ends with excellent structure, length and balance.
2006 VINTAGE NOTES: The growing season in 2006 started slowly with bud break two weeks behind the historical average. The season began with an abundance of moisture in the soil from the winter rains and the weather was fairly cool with a significant amount of cloud cover and periodic rain
showers during the spring. April brought five inches of rain. Bloom dates in 2006 were behind the average by one week yet conditions were excellent, yielding good fruit set. There was a record setting 10-day
heat wave near the end of July. Most blocks had an exceptionally long veraison period beginning in early August, particularly in the Petit Verdot and Merlot. This may have been an effect caused by the extreme temperatures in July during berry formation. During veraison we anticipated the forecasted
cooler autumn and took this time to adjust the crop; green harvesting was implemented to ensure more even ripening.
