2017 Pied à Terre Cabernet Sauvignon

$35.00

2017 started out as a challenging year but, when all was said and done, the wine we bottled may have been our best yet!

The early growing season saw record levels of rainfall which provided “fuel” for high levels of vegetative growth following bud break. We worked tirelessly in the vineyards to balance the canopy and minimize/negate the formation of those vegetal methoxypyrazines.

Challenging weather patterns continued throughout the year in the form of repeated heat wave events. During much of the mid and late growing season, repeated extended heat waves created a high level of heat stress which limited the crop size – again emphasizing the importance of managing the canopy to ensure balance.

Fortunately, our work in the vineyard paid off as the fruit we harvested was intensely flavorful, deeply colored and void of green-ness, though we yielded 1/3 of what we normally would.

2017 was also marked by fires which raged out of control and devastated the region. Many people lost everything they owned. So, with that to provide context, we feel fortunate that we were able to harvest really great fruit at all (all but one of our vineyard sources was “in” before the fires hit and we did not use any of the smoke-tainted fruit in our wine – we sold it off).

A famous wine writer (who requested anonymity) said the following, regarding the wines of 2017 – and while I normally do not agree with his take on wine, I do endorse these sentiments: “If you prefer full-bodied, fruit driven wines with lots of ripeness, high alcohol, and sweet tannins you will probably be unhappy with many bottles. But there are still some worth buying and drinking, particularly if you like more balanced and fresh wines like I do. I found numerous 2017 reds that I think are excellent quality…” We always strive for balance and freshness so…

Tasting Notes: The berries were small and compact, with incredible concentration of aromas and flavors: blueberry, red cherry, mint and pencil shavings with an elegant, focused mouthfeel and mature tannins. A perfect complement to hearty meat dishes and a wine that I am thrilled to have produced!

3.3/5 (15 Reviews)