Back to Wine List
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Description
Winemaking Notes
Our 2014 Reserve Cabernet was created in our small lot artisan cellar. Winemaker Greg Morthole employs techniques such as cluster pre-sorting, berry sorting, and extended maceration. With small tanks and equipment sized for the most discriminating vineyard selection process, our cellar is state of the art and represents the Klein family commitment to producing the fi nest wines possible.
History
Visitors to the winery often ask what "Reserve" Cabernet means to us. It's simple. Reserve means the winemaker's careful blend of individual Cabernet Sauvignon lots made from time tested, meticulously farmed sections of some of the very best vineyards in Alexander Valley. Select areas within each vineyard are hand harvested individually, fermented separately and aged in the finest French oak barrels. After about six months, each lot is tasted and graded and only the Cabernets that display depth, richness, intensity, and age worthiness are considered for Reserve Cabernet. The 100% Cabernet blend is then assembled, and the wine is returned to barrels to facilitate flavor integration. The wine is aged an additional 14 to 20 months, depending on the vintage, before bottling.
The Vineyards
The exceptional 2014 vintage started with buds pushing a little early after a very dry winter. The spring continued to be warm and dry, conditions favorable for optimum fruit set. Summer brought more warmth as the grapes acclimated to the sunshine. The 2014 Reserve Cabernet is made from 4 different vineyards, 3 of which are in Alexander Valley. The earliest picked fruit came from the front blocks of our Rockaway vineyard in mid-September. By late September we were picking different blocks from the back side of Rockaway, our Brothers vineyard, plus our Cooley Ranch north of Lake Sonoma at up to 2000 feet elevation. We fi nished up by October 9 with the last fruit coming off of the Farrow vineyard in Alexander Valley, a little bit of La Questa clone Cabernet from the 750 foot peak at Rockaway, and a small amount of Petit Verdot and Malbec from Cooley Ranch.
