Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2023

VINTAGE NOTES

 2023 is an exceptional vintage marked by one of the longest growing seasons in over a decade. Significant winter rains followed by a warm dry spring supported healthy canopy growth through bloom. Cooler weather prevailed throughout the rest of the growing season aided by abundant sunshine that enabled grapes to ripen slowly and reach perfect maturity. The long growing season and extended “hang time” for grapes has produced wines with stunning, complex flavors and the structure for long term aging.

VINEYARD SOURCES

Home to Alpha Omega winery, Rutherford is the historical centerpiece of the Napa Valley. Many of the Napa Valley’s most famous wines over the past century originated here. A total of just six square miles, Rutherford is known for its warm, sunny days, breezy afternoons, cool evenings and diverse soils that include the famed Rutherford Bench. Grapes for this wine were partially sourced from the Rutherford Bench, in addition to hillside vineyards on the western and eastern sides of the appellation.

WINEMAKING

For the 2023 vintage, our winemakers blended 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Malbec. These grapes were fermented in 85% French oak barriques, 80% new and 15% in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged for 18 months in French oak barriques of which 30% were new.

TASTING NOTES

SIGHT: Very deep to opaque ruby with a crimson rim

NOSE: Ripe, pure fruit aromas of blackberry and black cherry enhanced by notes of cinnamon, RC Cola and lilac.

PALATE: Medium full bodied, rich, concentrated flavors of cassis and black cherry accented by oregano, anise, tarragon and nutmeg with a firm backbone for aging.