2007
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
CALIFORNIA
•WINEMAKER’S NOTES•
“The nearly-ideal 2007 vintage gave this Cabernet Sauvignon exceptionally rich blackberry and black cherry expression, with complex hints of dark chocolate, cedar and black olive,” says Erick Schultz, Senior Winemaker. “Its ripe, fruity flavors are structured with smooth, velvety tannins and excellent balance. A small amount of Petite Sirah added notes of blackberry liqueur, while splashes of Merlot and Syrah enhanced our Cabernet’s smooth mouthfeel and spicy finish.” Invite over friends and pop our Cabernet Sauvignon’s cork with grilled steak, pork, lamb and even chicken. Or pour glasses by candlelight on a cold winter’s night and enjoy with roast beef or hearty soup.
Varietal blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Sirah, 5% Merlot, 4% Syrah, and complementary varieties
•VINTAGE•
“I call 2007 a one-in-twenty vintage,” said Todd Ziemann, Director of Winemaking. “I believe it’s the highest quality harvest in the 20 years that I’ve been a winemaker in Lodi. The wines are amazing.” Low rainfall kept the grapes small and concentrated, while moderately cool temperatures throughout the growing season allowed the grapes to slowly develop vibrant, ripe flavors. Early budbreak in spring led to the early onset of harvest, with the white grape varieties reaching maturity in early August. Our winemaking team called it a fun, well-paced harvest, and noted how easy it is to make fantastic wines out of great grapes.
•VINEYARDS•
This wine’s lush, fruit-focused personality comes from grapes in the Lodi American Viticultural Area (AVA), one of the first recognized wine-growing appellations in California. Breezes from the San Joaquin Delta temper the sunny days to develop abundant fruitiness in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The region’s unique sandy clay loam soils, some up to 40 feet deep, are very light and highly organic. To complement the Lodi fruit and complete the flavor profile, we harvested grapes predominantly from the Central and North Coast AVAs.
Grape Sourcing: 76% Lodi AVA, balance Central and North Coast AVAs and other regions
•FERMENTATION AND AGING•
We harvested the grapes when they reached their optimum flavor maturity and sugar-to-acid balance, then rushed them to our nearby winery for gentle crushing. We fermented the must (juice and skins) with a selected yeast strain in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks until dry. To retain fruit-focused expression, we pressed the Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of the primary fermentation. Malolactic fermentation followed, changing the malic acid into softer lactic acid. Aging with French and American oak from a variety of coopers matured flavors and added an array of sweet oak spices.
Wine analysis: 0.56% total acid, 3.71 pH, 0.2% residual sugar, and 13.5% alcohol, by volume