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In the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, I am starting to recognize a phenomenon. I first saw it in the vineyards of the Happy Canyon area. Then, slightly west of there, in one of the Valley's newer vineyards, Estelle, I started to see images that can only be described as amazing.
What these vineyards share are the mesmerizing colors in their rocks. Fire engine reds, cobalt and turquoise blues, every shade of yellow and brown imaginable, even a purple or two; they are all set in stone, in a seemingly impossible, yet perfectly natural way.
It is in these beautifully rocky vineyards that Santa Barbara County's most interesting Cabernet Sauvignon is now beginning to mature. Made from 97 % Estelle fruit, this wine is like a beacon to our upcoming Cabernet renaissance. It has a refinement that always seemed to be missing in the Cabernets of our past. Its demeanor is a reflection of vines which have to endure the stressful reality of shallow, rocky soils. The nose is loaded with spicy, cedary fruit, and the flavors offer a luscious complex of chocolatey ripe raspberry and cherry, with plush dusty tannins in the finish. Its power and balance are an expression of Cabernet grown in the right place.
The rock that is featured on my label was plucked out of the NUCLEUS section of the Estelle Vineyard. Nucleus is one of the sections where the colors abound. Indeed, the most difficult aspect in the creation of this label was in having to choose one rock. Such a choice does not do the terroir justice. But, while the label conveys only one of the rocks, the wine is an expression of them all.
Enjoy,
Bryan Babcock
Technical Notes:
VINEYARD SOURCES:
97% Estelle Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley
3% BaehnerVineyards, Santa Ynez Valley
VARIETAL COMPOSITION:
77% Cabernet Sauvignon
22% Merlot
1% Syrah
FINISHED WINE:
Residual Sugar: Dry
TA: 5.7 g/L
pH: 3.79
Alc. By Vol: 14.2%
ELEVAGE:
16 months, 25% new French Oak
BOTTLING DATE: February, 2008
RELEASE DATE: February, 2008
TOTAL PRODUCTION: 3917 cases 12/750 ml
What these vineyards share are the mesmerizing colors in their rocks. Fire engine reds, cobalt and turquoise blues, every shade of yellow and brown imaginable, even a purple or two; they are all set in stone, in a seemingly impossible, yet perfectly natural way.
It is in these beautifully rocky vineyards that Santa Barbara County's most interesting Cabernet Sauvignon is now beginning to mature. Made from 97 % Estelle fruit, this wine is like a beacon to our upcoming Cabernet renaissance. It has a refinement that always seemed to be missing in the Cabernets of our past. Its demeanor is a reflection of vines which have to endure the stressful reality of shallow, rocky soils. The nose is loaded with spicy, cedary fruit, and the flavors offer a luscious complex of chocolatey ripe raspberry and cherry, with plush dusty tannins in the finish. Its power and balance are an expression of Cabernet grown in the right place.
The rock that is featured on my label was plucked out of the NUCLEUS section of the Estelle Vineyard. Nucleus is one of the sections where the colors abound. Indeed, the most difficult aspect in the creation of this label was in having to choose one rock. Such a choice does not do the terroir justice. But, while the label conveys only one of the rocks, the wine is an expression of them all.
Enjoy,
Bryan Babcock
Technical Notes:
VINEYARD SOURCES:
97% Estelle Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley
3% BaehnerVineyards, Santa Ynez Valley
VARIETAL COMPOSITION:
77% Cabernet Sauvignon
22% Merlot
1% Syrah
FINISHED WINE:
Residual Sugar: Dry
TA: 5.7 g/L
pH: 3.79
Alc. By Vol: 14.2%
ELEVAGE:
16 months, 25% new French Oak
BOTTLING DATE: February, 2008
RELEASE DATE: February, 2008
TOTAL PRODUCTION: 3917 cases 12/750 ml