2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Heart of the Hill

The Williams family was the first to plant wine grape varieties on Red Mountain. They had a vision and they took somewhat of a risk. It was an especially warm area, and it was yet to be proven if wine grapes would succeed there. This extra warmth had an added benefit in the vintage of 2019, one that challenged us, but ultimately rewarded us with beautiful, generous wines. The season began with snow still on the ground in March, which delayed pruning, bud break, and bloom. The temperatures that followed were slightly above long-term averages, but relative to recent years, it was moderate, allowing for even ripening. This was fortunate, because September was cool and an early frost brought harvest to a close. Because the crop levels are low in the vineyards that we use, ripeness was complete and all of our fruit had been picked when the weather turned.

As with all of our red varieties, we sort very carefully on the way in to the destemmer and on the output side, as well. For the style of wine that we make, it is crucial that as little green stem material as possible remains in the fruit, since, during fermentation, those green and edgy characters can become part of the flavor profile of the wine. Additionally, fruit from this region can be more tannic in general, and so the types of tannins we are looking for are those that are smooth and integrated, not green and angular. Our sorting is done by hand, not machine. We love the camaraderie of those who come to work with us each year, because they too believe in this process.

The flavor profile of this wine is all Cabernet Sauvignon that leans slightly red, bright, floral, and exotic. Those brilliant characters bring lift to the classic expressions of the Cabernet varietal, giving this wine a broad and complex personality. Boysenberry, huckleberry (the dark purple mountain type), and ripe strawberry combine with deep plum and blueberry. An exotic perfume with a spicy note catches our attention. This wine has excellent structure with plenty of beautiful, silky tannins and enough richness and density to bring it into full balance. John Abbott, Winemaker