2017 Leonardini Vyd Cabernet Sauvignon

The Leonardini Vineyard Cabernet comes from one of our most prized vineyards and is the owner’s name-sake. It is located on the Western side of the valley floor in St. Helena Ava. Which is celebrated for its exceptional gravelly-loam soil. Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our Cabernet Sauvignon was carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45 ̊F for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma, and flavor extraction. After inoculation with a select yeast, the grape must (juice, skins, and seeds) fermented at 82 ̊F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, we pumped juice over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was sent to 85% new French oak, 15% neutral French oak barrels, aging for 26 months. The final blend for the Leonardini Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2017 year began with abundant rainfall, followed by a mild Spring resulting in extended flowering with little shatter. The summer warmed up nicely, allowing the fruit to mature at an even rate and make optimum conditions for flavor development. A Labor Day weekend heat event kicked harvest into high gear, then cool weather allowed sugar levels to return to normal. Our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested in late September and early October, when they were in perfect balance. This 2017 wine was made from hand-selected grapes from our small blocks of clone 8, clone 685, and clone 412 Cabernet Sauvignon in our Leonardini Vineyard.