2018 Leonardini Vyd Cabernet Sauvignon

Our Leonardini Vineyard Cabernet comes from one of our most prized vineyards and is our namesake. Out of the 12 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted on this property this selection became a single vineyard bottling of the highest caliber. The 2018 vintage was a near perfect growing season. Bud break began in late March, leading to a Spring that was mild and dry. Flowering proved to be long and gave way to a healthy set of uniform grape clusters. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading to a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. The consistent summer weather encouraged our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to ripen in mid-September to late October when they were in perfect balance. This 2018 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.

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 healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was sent to 75% new French oak, 25% 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.