2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 was an extremely warm and dry year in Paso Robles, which led to very low yields from our Estate Cabernet. In warm years, the grapes naturally produce smaller berries with thicker skins to lessen evaporative loss. This combination creates extraordinarily dense and full bodied Cabernets. Although production is minimal, the small amount of cases that are produced are exemplary of the vineyard from which it comes. The fruit was handpicked and cluster sorted before de-stemming. The fruit was moved uncrushed into 3-ton open stainless fermenters. The berries were cold soaked under CO2 for 6 days to allow for color extractions. The tanks were allowed to warm and fermentation begun. The cap was punched down 2 times daily as well as a daily pump over to add oxygen. After 21 days, the juice was pressed off the skins and rough racked into barrels. The barrels were only racked one time, after completion of malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was bottled unfined with only a course filtration.