2006 Idle Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes:
Beautiful deep purple color. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry and ceder are prominent. There is mouth watering tart acidity that builds a sturdy structure. It is well balanced, bringing a steady stream of character throughout your pallet. It leaves you with a spicy finish.
Woolard Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested very late in the year on November 18th 2006 at 24.3 brix. The fruit was full of character and held together tightly due to the long hang time. The grapes tasted pure and sweet with deep berry flavors. We hand sorted it, removing any MOG (material other grapes). After being sorted and de-stemmed we inoculated it on November 20th with VQ15 yeast. The fermentation lasted 12 days from start until finish. We added superfood in 2 different additions as well as DAP to feed the yeast and maintain a healthy fermentation. The acid levels were in perfect balance so no additional acids were needed. The wine was pressed on November 30th where the juice settled in a tank for 3 days to let the lees settle. On December 3rd the wine was pumped in barrels where it lived a cool, glorious life for 16 months
The Rancho Salina Cabernet Franc was harvested on October 14th at 25.1 brix. The international harvest crew agreed that these grapes were the most vibrant of the season. The clusters were sorted and the grapes were fermented in a T bin. A hand full of oak powder was added to extract color and boost some flavors during the fermentation. It was inoculated with BDX yeast on the 17th after a 3 day cold soak. The wine fermented in 8 days. Superfood and DAP were added to maintain a steady fermentation. It was pressed on the 25nd and pumped into barrels on the 27th. In barrel the wine was racked 3 times every 4 months.
These wines were topped once a month. We blended the barrels together on January 12th 2008 after many tasting trials. This wine was filtered using cross flow and bottled on April 23rd 2008. It was held in bottle for 3 months to avoid bottle shock. We popped the first bottle on the summer solstice. 75 cases were produced.
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes: Woolard vineyard, located off highway 12 on Melida Road just before hitting Santa Rosa.
Cabernet Franc grapes: Rancho Salina, located on the mountain above the valley of the moon. On a clear day you can see San Francisco. Soil is a mixture of volcanic rock and soil.
Alcohol: 14.8%