Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon

Hand-sorted while still cold from the field. Fermented in small, closed-top stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. 5-day cold soak, 29 day total maceration. Gentle pumpovers and délestage. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aged 20 months in French oak barrels; 100% new. Coopers: Baron, Darnajou, Taransaud, Marcel Cadet, Radoux. Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vineyard owner: Andy Beckstoffer. Sourced from: 2.38 acres of block b. Clonal selection: 4 Rootstock: 110-r. Plant date: 2001. Soil: Cortina very gravelly loam. Exposure: 0-5% slope, full exposure. Trellis and pruning: vertical shoot positioned (vsp) | bilateral cordon. Yield: 2.4 tons/acre

Resplendent with a deep purple color and aromas of crushed violets, ripe blueberry, and clean earth, the cabernet from this St. Helena site is endowed with structure and refinement. A soft entry on the palate carries layered flavors of ripe blackberry, sweet chocolate, savory herbs, and a distinct wet stone minerality. Showing both depth and precision, the wine imparts a compelling tension throughout.