After over a quarter century of making Cabernet Sauvignon from our Lafond Vineyard, winemaker Bruce McGuire is now sourcing this grape from vineyards on the warmer eastern side of the Santa Ynez Valley. While we still mourn our departed Cabernet vines, we now look forward to learning from this grape planted in a more traditional climate than our very cool growing area and tended to by very professional wine growers.
The 2005 vintage was primarily grown in the Westerly Vineyard located in Happy Canyon on the warmer, eastern side of the Santa Ynez Valley. Note: Westerly Vineyard is named for the road it is on, not its location in the valley. This is only a five barrel lot that was harvested on the mildly late date of November 5th. After a year of bottle aging in the winery, the wine still wants for more age to fully “flesh out”.
At this young age, the nose shows hints of chocolate, wood spice and dark berrys. The dark berry character is opulant in the mouth and the tannins are soft and pleasing. Decanting and air time are highly recommend to help this Cabernet to show off its concentrated fruit character. A very good choice for beef or hearty pasta. Cellaring from 2011 through 2013 should be amply rewarded.
Recent Comments