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The Vintage: The 2008 growing season we experienced in the Lake Chelan basin made was quite good despite a long – drawn out – cool spring. Warm – dry conditions existed throughout Washington State from June until harvest was completed in late – October. This resulted in perfectly ripened wine grapes. The grape maturity data for the Cabernet Sauvignon was; Brix = 24.3, Acidity = 7.1g/liter and the pH = 3.30. For the Merlot; Brix = 24.5, Acidity = 6.5g/liter and the pH = 3.35. For the Cabernet Franc; Brix = 24.5, Acidity 8.4g/liter and pH = 3.17.
The Grape Growing: The source for the Cabernet Sauvignon was the Rivers Bend vineyard. Located west of the Yakima Valley appellation town of Benton City the Rivers Bend vineyard is one of the oldest continuously operated sites in Washington State. The soil is a stingy 18” – 24” above fractured basalt and bedrock. Merlot for this wine was harvested from two southern vineyards. The Jones vineyard is located in the south facing Wahluke Slope appellation. This area’s terrior is the result of the basalt flows circa 20 million years prior and the mammoth flood which took place approximately 8,000 years ago which originated in Montana. The second site was the DuLia Vineyard located in the Lake Chelan appellation. This sites terrior is the result of 10,000 year old glacial deposits, south facing slope, proximity to Lake Chelan and an elevation of 1,100 feet above sea level. The Cabernet Franc was grown on the DuLia site as well. The Bouy vineyard which supplied the Malbec neighbors the Rivers Bend vineyard.
The Winemaking: All grapes were hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. Upon arrival at the winery, my crew and I hand sorted the fruit once again to ensure only the best clusters were destemmed and crushed into the fermentation tank. The yeast strain Pasteur Red was used to conduct the primary fermentation on the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. New and used French, Hungarian and American oak barrels were selected to age the wine in for 24 months. The wine completed malo – lactic fermentation in barrel. A tight filtration was conducted at bottling.
The Wine: The deep red – purple color hints at the depth this wine possesses. Yummy toasty oak and loads of sweet vanilla bean notes wrap around a juicy core of black cherry and blackberries. The tannins are soft and silky yet provide enough to offer decent aging potential. This is a wine which requires a little breathing time between opening and enjoying …. say a good 2 hours. The wine pairs well with a thick grilled beef steak, duck served with a black fruit sauce or a Dagwood hamburger (that means a super deluxe burger!).
% Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.44
Acidity: 5.6g/liter
Residual Sugar: 3.5g/liter
Cases Produced: 599
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec
Cellar Potential: 2013 - 2016
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