CASE PRICE = $21.99 per bottle (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes from the Winemaker:
This mountain Cabernet has classic aromas of cassis, blackberry, vanilla and sweet tobacco. Red and black fruit explode on the palate and are followed by suave mountain tannin. As always there is density and concentration, but bright acidity and supple tannins temper the wilder elements of this mountain wine. Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon is often stylistically some where between the old and new world; there is new world fruit and old world texture and spice. The 2007 vintage has produced wines that are classic in nature with immediate appeal for their bright fruit, but should be in for the long haul in the cellar (10 20 years). Roast beef, steaks or chops on the grill would be ideal matches for current consumption, along with a decanter for the wine!
Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains
WINEMAKING TEAM: Michael Martella and Nathan Kandler
Composition: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc
Climate: Cool, Mountain, Maritime
Finished Alcohol: 14.5%
Acid/pH: .46/3.72
Oak treatment: French and American Oak 24 Months, 25% New Oak
Total production: 918 cases
93 Points & "Cellar Selection" - Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2006 vintage):"Just terrific, a classic Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet from this consistentproducer. It’s bone dry, fine in balancing acidity and very tannic, with a sandpapery, lockdown mouthfeel. Yet it’s wonderfully rich in blackberries, currants, cassis and chocolate. This outstanding young Cabernet should easily develop beyond 2015. Cellar Selection."—S.H. Price: $30 abv: 14.5%
92 Points & "Best Buy" - Wine & Spirits Magazine (2006 vintage):
"Winemakers Michael Martella and Nathan Kandler buy fruit for this wine from three vineyards, the blend predominantly cabernet sauvignon (79 percent) with smaller amounts of cabernet franc, malbec and merlot. The complexity of the wine is immediately apparent, as is the silky texture, but most of the flavor is hidden behind dark, coffee- scented tannin. As it opens in the glass, the fruit begins to layer strawberry and cranberry scents with darker bluefoot mushroom notes. There’s generosity to the flavor that needs bottle age to reveal itself more fully. (627 cases)"
93 Points & "Cellar Selection" - Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2003 vintage):"To begin with, it’s a very fine, well-structured Cab, rich and vibrant in cassis and smoky oak flavors. It shows the deep integrity that the best Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernets possess. However, it’s quite tannic, which gives it a palate astringency. So, will it age? Odds are strongly in favor of it. Best 2009–2015." — S.H. (7/1/2008)
