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The Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the Todd Brothers Ranch—located in the steep hills of Geyserville—produce a classic Bordeau-style wine, with intense fruit, great structure, and full tannins that respond beautifully to extended bottle age. It exhibits all of the intensity and complexity of Alexander Valley Cabernet, but with a very balanced, elegant style that is reminiscent of a European wine.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
HISTORY
To make our Cabernet Sauvignon, we use a combination of both French and American winemaking techniques. Since both Michael and Anne have worked in top Cabernet-producing wineries such as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau La Dominique, Ridge Vineyards and Far Niente, we use techniques we learned to increase the intensity of flavor and aromas, while also gaining complexity, subtlety, and lush texture. It truly is an example of “the iron fist in a velvet glove,” showing wonderfully intense Cabernet flavors, along with a perfumed aroma, layers and layers of fruit and spice, and a long, complex finish.
PRODUCTION
The 2005 vintage has produced one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons that Dashe Cellars has ever made. The grapes were crushed into our smallest fermentation tank (1500 gallons) and allowed to slowly ferment using a Bordeaux isolate yeast. During fermentation the temperature was allowed to get above 90º F, to aid in the extraction of color and flavor. We let the wine stay on the fermented skins for an extended time to extract the maximum flavor and color, after which we pressed the grapes in a gentle membrane press so as not to extract dry or harsh tannins.
The wine was aged for 20 months in 100% French oak barrels, with about 25% of the wine aged in new oak. Every three months we racked the wine out of barrel to clarify the wine and aid in its development. In our blending trials, we found ourselves creating a classic “Bordeaux blend,” including Petit Verdot and Merlot in the final blend. Since the tannins were substantial, we fined the wine with 8 egg whites per barrel to remove harsh tannins and to give the wine a silky, velvety texture. A big, balanced, substantial wine, we believe that this Cabernet Sauvignon will be quite a long-lived, able to age 15 years or more.
PRODUCTION NOTES
Varietals: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Appellation: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
Alcohol: 14.0 % by vol.
Time in oak: 20 months
Oak: 100% French oak; 25% new
Production: 194 cases, 750mL
Release date: November 14, 2008
Sugg. retail price: $38.00 bottle
Optimum time for consumption: 2008-2022
TASTING NOTES
Color: Black
Aroma: Cassis, blackberry, plum, fennel, chocolate, black pepper
Taste: Intense blackberry and cassis flavors, ripe plum, licorice, lavender, chocolate, velvety texture in the midpalette but with firm tannins, long, intense sweet finish of blackberry and spice that persists for minutes.
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