Cabernet Today & Every Day

Our Cab grapes are coming along and are as beautiful as ever. They are lagging a little behind from last year's vintage due to the cooler temperatures we've had, but it's 106º today, and from here on out we can expect those hot summer days and cool nights that are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. We just did a barrel tasting of our 2021 vintage last week. To say that last year's vintage will be unbelievably good is an understatement! It’s always exciting to go for periodic barrel tastings to see how the wine is developing, and this one was particularly special surrounded by family visiting from the East Coast. We tasted from the neutral oak barrels, the French oak barrels, the American oak barrels, the fermenting French oak barrels, and different compilations of them all. It’s always interesting to see how individual palates respond to different barrel influences. Me, I’m all about the fermenting French oak barrels. The one thing we all agreed on is that it’s going to be a great vintage. Our attention is now on the Cab grapes in the vineyard to ensure that they too will produce a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon. In the meantime we are finishing up our 2016 vintage; it’s almost gone, but in the meantime it’s drinking great.