You Are Here:
This offering of Alexander Valley Cabernet is silkier and aromatically inclined than other vintages, yet shows good texture and depth. It has the herbal, dried leaves aroma typical of the region but with medleys of black cherry, raspberry and blackberry fruit. It finishes soft, with complex, earthy flavors. This wine is a joy to drink now, but will become more multifaceted and elegant with additional bottle age.
Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker
The Vineyards
Just over half of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes came from the Lyon Vineyard, combining grapes from a 34 year old block on sandy loam soils with younger blocks planted on gravelly soils with Clones #4, #6, and #337. The remaining Cabernet grapes came from the Rancho Miguel Vineyard, comprised of Clone #7. The Malbec and Merlot comes from Lyon Vineyard, with the Petite Verdot from Ranch Miguel Vineyard. The Lyon Vineyard is in Northern Alexander Valley, marked by significant changes in day to night temperatures and little influence from coastal fog. The Rancho Miguel Vineyard is in the central portion of Alexander Valley, where the weather is moderately hot and perfect for Bordeaux grapes. Both of our vineyard sources are adjacent to the Russian River, and are planted on soils similar to those found in Pauillac, Margaux and St. Julien in Bordeaux.
The Vintage
The 2005 vintage got off to a late start, delaying bud break for the red Bordeaux varieties. However, spring temperatures were normal, allowing a good fruit set. Summer was mild to moderate without any heat waves. August was foggy and cool, setting the stage for large cluster development. Facing high yields at the start of harvest, we crop thinned the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Lyon Vineyard. An “Indian summer” started in mid October, and we were able to pick Alexander Valley Merlot starting October 21st, followed by Petite Verdot and Malbec. We waited until the last week in October to harvest the Cabernet Sauvignon at Rancho Miguel, finishing out with the Lyon vineyard through November 8 th . We were also fortunate to have little rain, and the extra hang time gave us more depth and ripeness. Because of the cooler, longer vintage, the wine is darker in color, yet has a soft palate and tannin structure.
Winemaking
We cold soaked both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, leading to a slow fermentation in the beginning. We warmed up the must mid-fermentation in order to fully extract color and flavor. The wine was pressed off of the skins before fermentation was complete, but only free run and light press fractions were used. The lots were racked once, then re-racked into both new and 1-year-old Tonnellerie Treuil French Chateau oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation was completed in barrels and assemblage took place in early Spring of 2006 using Merlot at this stage. We re-blended the wine 4 months later using Petite Verdot and Malbec, at which point the wine was aged in 1-year-old French barrels, along with 20% New “Grand Cru” Canton American Oak barrels.
Technical Data
Appellation: Alexander Valley Composition: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 11% Merlot; 3.5% Petite Verdot; 8.5%Malbec
Cooperage: 12 months in mostly French, some American and Hungarian oak
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: 0.54 g/100ml pH: 3.62
Bottling Date: May 2007 Release Date: October 2007
Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker
The Vineyards
Just over half of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes came from the Lyon Vineyard, combining grapes from a 34 year old block on sandy loam soils with younger blocks planted on gravelly soils with Clones #4, #6, and #337. The remaining Cabernet grapes came from the Rancho Miguel Vineyard, comprised of Clone #7. The Malbec and Merlot comes from Lyon Vineyard, with the Petite Verdot from Ranch Miguel Vineyard. The Lyon Vineyard is in Northern Alexander Valley, marked by significant changes in day to night temperatures and little influence from coastal fog. The Rancho Miguel Vineyard is in the central portion of Alexander Valley, where the weather is moderately hot and perfect for Bordeaux grapes. Both of our vineyard sources are adjacent to the Russian River, and are planted on soils similar to those found in Pauillac, Margaux and St. Julien in Bordeaux.
The Vintage
The 2005 vintage got off to a late start, delaying bud break for the red Bordeaux varieties. However, spring temperatures were normal, allowing a good fruit set. Summer was mild to moderate without any heat waves. August was foggy and cool, setting the stage for large cluster development. Facing high yields at the start of harvest, we crop thinned the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Lyon Vineyard. An “Indian summer” started in mid October, and we were able to pick Alexander Valley Merlot starting October 21st, followed by Petite Verdot and Malbec. We waited until the last week in October to harvest the Cabernet Sauvignon at Rancho Miguel, finishing out with the Lyon vineyard through November 8 th . We were also fortunate to have little rain, and the extra hang time gave us more depth and ripeness. Because of the cooler, longer vintage, the wine is darker in color, yet has a soft palate and tannin structure.
Winemaking
We cold soaked both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, leading to a slow fermentation in the beginning. We warmed up the must mid-fermentation in order to fully extract color and flavor. The wine was pressed off of the skins before fermentation was complete, but only free run and light press fractions were used. The lots were racked once, then re-racked into both new and 1-year-old Tonnellerie Treuil French Chateau oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation was completed in barrels and assemblage took place in early Spring of 2006 using Merlot at this stage. We re-blended the wine 4 months later using Petite Verdot and Malbec, at which point the wine was aged in 1-year-old French barrels, along with 20% New “Grand Cru” Canton American Oak barrels.
Technical Data
Appellation: Alexander Valley Composition: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon 11% Merlot; 3.5% Petite Verdot; 8.5%Malbec
Cooperage: 12 months in mostly French, some American and Hungarian oak
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: 0.54 g/100ml pH: 3.62
Bottling Date: May 2007 Release Date: October 2007