The grapes for this wine are sourced from the northeast flank of Howell Mountain. Following his work identifying the differences between various Cabernet sauvignon clones, Anthony Bell spent many hours in this vineyard, introducing Clone 6 from budwood taken off BV’s block 4, where he conducted the clonal trials in 1980. Clone 6 is known to be a winemaker’s favorite Cabernet clone, due to the very small berry size, loose clusters and low pyrazine content.  These all lead to an amazingly concentrated wine that lends itself to diverse winemaking styles without any overt green/bell pepper notes in less ripe versions, or overripe flavors in the case of later picks.  The thick skins break down slowly during fermentation, preserving the freshness of fruit, and allowing control over tannin extraction.  The best of all worlds!

 

The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 40% whole berries.  Color extraction is accomplished via gentle cap irrigations. The grapes were drained and pressed at dryness. The free-run and press wines were kept separate.  Following fermentation the wine went through malo-lactic fermentation in barrel.  The wine was aged in 100% French barrels, 75% new, for 20 months and was racked three times during aging to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins. With no filtration or fining, the wine was laid down in bottle prior to release.

 

Vintage 2019 brought a very even ripening season for most of northern California.  Winter shared a little more rainfall than most recent years, easing the drought temporarily.  Spring was gentle and warm, with an average timing for bud-break, and a steady growth pattern of spring.  June and July turned up the heat - temperatures hovered in the 90s or higher, with a few sustained heat spells, and we moved into a moderately warm August with balanced vine growth producing healthy, leafy canopies

Fortunately, even temperatures followed the hotter pre-veraison months, allowing fruit to hang and continue ripening through September’s end and well into October.  We carefully scheduled picking, often in the coolest hours approaching sunrise.  Sauvignon Blanc grapes came in about a week behind average, while most of the other grapes fell in around their normal harvest dates, responding well to the consistent temperatures of August, September and October.

 

The 2019 vintage is an amazing wine in every sense. In the glass, dark, opaque inky color with a nose of blackberry, rum raisin, forest floor, earthy white pepper, and light savory notes.  Pure and focused fruits of cassis and  raspberry lead, and fig compote intermingle with cedar and sweet tobacco on a plush texture. The finish lingers for more than a minute, with a display of kirsch liqueur, sweet oak spice, and licorice.