The outstanding 2023 vintage showcases all the hallmarks of great Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with rich aromas of black currant, cherry, tobacco, olive, sage, and sweet French oak. Lush and smooth on the palate, its bright acidity adds freshness and length to dark berry, cassis, and anise flavors, while firm tannins promise excellent aging potential.
96 Points, Decanter - This Alexander Valley Cabernet is crafted from free-run juice (the first pressing of fresh juice from just-harvested grapes) from their best hillside blocks, with select French oak barrels in the cellar. Aged 18 months before bottling. It makes for a wonderful counterpoint to the 2023 Barrel Selection wine, only a bit darker and more brooding, with intense dark forest berry, tobacco, and loamy earth. Full-bodied, with penetrating dark-fruit concentration, scorched earth, black tea tannins, and notes of espresso and dark chocolate.
Our 2023 Reserve Cabernet highlights fruit from two prized vineyard blocks: Block Eleven, planted in 2001with the Belle Terre selection, brings vibrant red berry notes; Block Twelve, planted in 1989 with Clone 337, contributes floral complexity, firm tannins, and classic cassis and cherry flavors.
Both blocks were hand-sorted, cluster by cluster, and fermented separately in stainless steel open-top fermenters. The maceration period for both lots was twenty days and punch downs were performed once to twice daily. The wines were aged in premium French oak barrels, 65% new. After twelve months, several free-run barrels from each lot were selected, blended, and returned to barrel for an additional six months of aging. After eighteen months, the wine was racked to tank and bottled un-fined and unfiltered.
