2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Appassimento Reserve
NEW RELEASE
In Stock
Arguably the most important red wine grape in the world, a distinguished Cabernet Sauvignon is one of life’s great pleasures. Our Appassimento Cab is made in a style similar to northern Italy’s celebrated Amarone and displays a lavish richness that is almost port-like. The grapes are allowed to dry slowly on the vine, concentrating the sugars and resulting in an intense wine that is both powerful and nuanced.
Our 2021 Reserve Appassimento is a full-bodied and brooding beauty with generous aromas of blackberry, plum, elderberry and dried fig, gently highlighted by hints of vanilla, tobacco and chocolate. The finish is dense and dramatic, yet it has a surprising elegance. Drinking beautifully now, this is one to lay down for a decade or more.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2021
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Monterey
Vineyard
San Lucas
Harvest Date
Oct 28, 2021
pH
3.58
Aging
100% French oak, 16 months
Bottling Date
Jun 14, 2023
Alcohol %
16.8
Wine Profile
Vineyard
The grapes were sourced from our estate San Lucas Vineyard and specially farmed for this Old World style of wine. Appassimento, or the drying of the grapes, is an ancient technique that promotes dehydration in the grapes so that a higher concentration of sugar develops inside the berries. To achieve this, we cut the canes when the grapes were at 21° Brix. Cutting of the canes doesn’t allow any water to move into the berries and doesn’t allow sugars to move out. We left the clusters hanging on the vines for an additional three weeks until they reached 31° Brix.
Varietal Composition
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaking
After reaching 31° Brix, the fruit was hand harvested and destemmed into small fermenter bins. After soaking for two days, a small amount of water was added to allow the fermentation to go to dryness. The must was pressed into a stainless steel tank for settling and then racked to 100% French oak barrels for aging. Necessity being the mother of invention, especially when working with high alcohols, our resourceful winemaking team used aquarium heaters to keep the wine warm and facilitate the secondary fermentation in barrel. The result is worth every extra step in the process: a wine of tremendous depth and complexity.
Cases Produced
152