Cabernet Sauvignon    Napa Valley

Harvest dates  October 3rd

Grape Source   Steiger Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley

Brix at harvest  24.8   

Aging   24 months in 50% new, 50% once-used      French oak barrels

Chemistry at bottling:    pH: 3.69    Total Acidity: 6.2 grams/liter     Alcohol: 14.48%   Free Sulfur Dioxide: 30 ppm    Total Sulfur Dioxide: 79 ppm

Bottling Date   September 24, 2002  

Notes:  

2002 was a good year in the Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon.  We had a long, rain-free harvest season, leaving the fruit on the vine for an extended "hang time." Generally, the longer the fruit can stay on the vine without either getting ripe or damaged, the more intense and varied the flavor and aroma compounds become.  Thus, a long time on the vine almost guarantees an exceptional wine.

  From a sensory point-of-view this is a very succulent wine.  The nose is clear, clean Cabernet Sauvignon, with an overlay of nice sweet oak.  It has great structure and is full of berries and cherries.  But the mouth is where the real action is; my winemaking emphasis has always been on mouth-feel, first and foremost.  In this wine that is what hits you first, a great rich mouth-filling experience.  Flavors come next, and this wine has plenty—the same berries and cherries and oak of the nose, but also jam, peppercorns, and chocolate.  The astringency in the mouth is moderate and balanced.  In short, this is an elegant Rutherford Cabernet.

 Download this page in PDF format