2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

There are few places better suited for Cabernet Sauvignon than the Alexander Valley, which is why it's become our signature wine. Warm summer days tempered by morning coastal fogs combine to help create a refined Cabernet that is at once approachable upon release, yet with the fortitude to develop with time.

Those qualities are immediately evident when you uncork a bottle of the 2008. Though yields were substantially reduced, the fruit that arrived at the winery beginning in early September was very concentrated. A taste of the wine after it had been in the barrel for several months indicated that this was going to be a wonderfully balanced Cab.

The 2008 shows an enticing nose of black cherry and cassis and hints of eucalpytus and cocoa. In the glass, this wine delivers much more than what one might expect for a Cab so modestly priced, revealing rich flavors of cherry, chocolate and plum enveloped by soft tannins.