Aromas of blackberry and cassis with hints of vanilla, toasted oak and leather. Rich, full-bodied, chewy tannins with blackberry and blueberry flavors leading to a smooth, lively finish. Goes great with blue cheese turkey burgers, slow-cooked beef stew, filet steak with balsamic sauce, etc.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested mainly from excellent vineyards in the relatively warm Lodi and Paso Robles. The fully ripe grapes have red cherry and black currant flavors, and are fermented in French oak fermenters immediately after harvest. This barrel fermentation gives the wine bright black fruit, a mellow mouthfeel, and a spicy aroma. The winery was established in the 1970s by German-Swiss immigrants Nicky and Gaby Hahn. They initially planted Cabernet vines and started making wine, but in the 1980s they changed to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which thrive in a cooler environment, due to the characteristics of this region, which is influenced by the cold currents of the Pacific Ocean and the deep, cold waters of Monterey Bay. In 1988, Nicky, convinced of the potential of this region, began working to have Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH) recognized as an AVA, and it was finally recognized in 1995. Today, Santa Lucia Highlands is widely known as a renowned wine region for fine wines, especially Pinot Noir. Today, the Hahn family owns 6 vineyards in Monterey County, 4 vineyards (260ha) in SLH, and 2 vineyards (184ha) in the Arroyo Seco AVA to the south, for a total of 444ha of vineyards. Of these, 140ha is planted with Pinot Noir, accounting for 12% of the total Pinot Noir vineyards in SLH, making it the winery with the largest share. In addition, they have the most diverse clone varieties in the region, currently cultivating 21 different Pinot Noirs. The combination of diverse soils, climates, amount of sunlight due to the slope direction, and clones allows them to produce excellent Pinot Noir that cannot be imitated anywhere else, and the Pinot Noir expresses the individuality of the terroir of each of their vineyards. The region enjoys a growing season that is approximately 25 days longer than other California grape-growing regions, resulting in grapes that are rich in flavor, depth and structure and produce wines with excellent concentration.