Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003

Winemaker's Notes:

Most of the fruit comes from Sequoia Grove's 24-acre Rutherford estate where all five Bordeaux varietals are grown. The grapes are manually harvested, carefully transported to the winery where there's a strict selection before crushing into small batch fermenters. Vineyard parcels are fermented separately to allow each lot to express its particular characteristics, a percentage of which will be used in the final blend. The fruit undergoes a pre-fermentation "cold soak" for two to three days to concentrate color and extract subtle aromas and soft tannins. The must is inoculated with various French yeast strains to encourage consistent fermentations and a balanced , and then fermented in small batches to control quality. The vats are pumped over 2 to 3 times a day to enhance flavors and aerate the must before the wine goes through malolactic fermentation to soften its structure. Aging in French oak barrels for 22 months rounds out aromas and flavors. With a deep, dusky dark-red color, the wine has expressive, aromas of characteristic Rutherford dust, black cherry, currant and herbs, with intriguing red cherry cocoa powder and dried herb notes. The flavor components of the Bordeaux blend have a rare complexity. The wine's fruit has juicy, forward flavors in the mouth, with notes of sweet oak vanilla and cocoa. This becomes lush, ripe tannins and balanced acidity, Sequoia Grove's signature on the palate. With a soft, silky texture and rich mouthfeel, this wine is more approachable than the 2002 release. With a deep, dusky dark-red color, the wine has expressive, aromas of characteristic Rutherford dust, black cherry, currant and herbs, with intriguing red cherry cocoa powder and dried herb notes. The flavor components of the Bordeaux blend have a rare complexity. The wine's fruit has juicy, forward flavors in the mouth, with notes of sweet oak vanilla and cocoa. This becomes lush, ripe tannins and balanced acidity, Sequoia Grove's signature on the palate. With a soft, silky texture and rich mouthfeel, this wine is more approachable than the 2002 release. The wettest April on record and several nerve-racking heat spikes in September and October gave us a tough harvest, but we held on and had a lovely crop. We kept the best half of this fabulous fruit for our Reserve and made a wine that is all about finesse and elegance. The blend (cepage) for this wine is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Because of its soil and climate, the so-called "Rutherford dust" contains perhaps the best Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in the country, if not the world. The grapes used to make the Reserve are the finest of our estate-grown fruit. Months in barrel: 22 Oak: French