Sourced from the extremely rocky Rockledge Vineyard, planted by Jim Barbour in the early 1990s, this vineyard is a veritable phenolics machine, and it always yields what is unmistakably a hillside wine! A blast of clove, cinnamon, dark cherry, chocolate and anise greet the nose, emanating from a wine with a rich, red hue tinged with purple. This wine is lush and concentrated on the palate, with copious amounts of fine tannins providing structure and age-ability to the dark, rich Cabernet flavors, while enhancing the finish, which is long and graceful. Aged in 100% new French Oak for 23 months.
The elegant, flowery, but backward 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockledge Vineyard offers up scents of gravel, burning embers, black and red currants, and a hint of bay leaf. Fleshy with soft tannins, this cuvee will benefit from several years of cellaring, and should drink well for 20+ years. This tiny estate has a small production, but the quality of its wines is very high.
Deep ruby-red. Currant, licorice and chocolate on the ripe nose. Juicy and spicy in the mouth but not yet expressing itself. There's a candied quality to the dark berry and licorice flavors but the wine's sweetness is quite restrained. Finishes with big, slightly rough tannins that will require some aging.
Serves up a complex mix of spicy currant, blackberry, cedar, herb, dill and black licorice. Full-bodied, intense, focused and balanced, firming on the finish. Drink now through 2017.
