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2019 Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon

One of our signature clonal wines, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is a study in singularity. Richly textured and delectably spicy, our Clone 7 features luscious Napa fruit, grown on a vine that's known as a "workhorse" in California.

$169.00

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Vineyard
Honoring Anthony’s work identifying the differences between various Cabernet sauvignon clones, we produce this Clone 7, known now as the Concannon clone, a long-time workhorse of California Cabernet production. This clone has been known to produce as much as 10 tons per acre in Napa, although it generally produces between 4 –8 tons per acre.  Originally sourced from the Montpellier Nursery in France by James Concannon (founder of Concannon Vineyard, Livermore, CA) in 1893 during California’s first phylloxera blight, this clone displays good fruit strength, some herbal character and good yields. 
The source of this particular fruit is one of the most historic vineyards on the eastern bench of Rutherford, originally planted by Georges de Latour and Andre Tschelistcheff of Beaulieu Vineyard almost a hundred years ago.
 
Vinification
The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 50% whole berries. The free-run and press wines were kept separate; the resulting bottled wine is almost entirely from free-run juice. Following fermentation, the wine went through malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine was aged in 100% French oak (55% new) for 20 months and racked minimally to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins, yet retain its fruit intensity. The wine received about nine months of bottle aging prior to release.
 
Vintage Notes
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.
 

Tasting Notes
This Clone 7 once again demonstrates why it’s one of the most popular Cabernet Sauvignon clones grown in the Napa Valley. The inky color in the glass draws you in with aromas of purple and red fruits, chocolate and rum raisin, and orange peel, not to mention an almost floral hint and some dried sage. The taste delivers what the nose promises, with rich plum, boysenberry, and chaparral herbal notes, ending with lightly-toasted oak, five-spice, and a rich lifted fruit finish. There is an old world sensibility to this new world Cabernet, and an intangible feeling of a wine that is already more integrated and developed than would normally be expected in such a young wine. A long finish, with great balance, density, and well-integrated but age-worthy tannins complement the complex flavors and bright spirit.

Technical Analysis    
Varietal       Cabernet sauvignon, 100% Clone 7
Harvest Date    October 15-26th, 2019
Harvest Sugar    26.8° Brix
Total Acid    0.55 gm/100ml
pH    3.81
Alcohol    14.9%
Aging    20 months in 100% French Oak, 55% New
Bottling Date    July 7, 2021
Production    270 cases

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