2009 Alison’s Cuvée
The Winemaking
Under the supervision of winemaker Alison Doran, our field crew carefully pruned and groomed each vine to yield the best fruit possible. We hand picked and sorted each cluster on the day of harvest and delivered the fruit to the crush pad within hours of harvest. Following a four day cold soak, we carefully controlled the yeast fermentation to ensure the wine was completely dry. After the initial fermentation, the wine was kept in contact with the skins and pulp and a second fermentation, a bacterial process, was induced to generate softness and viscosity. The new wine was placed in an assortment of the best quality French and American oak barrels. Our procedures require very gentle handling of the wine from vineyard to bottle, a process we consider vital to our standard of quality. This vintage was specially blended with our own Cabernets and a small quantity of Alison’s Cabernet Franc from another superb vineyard.
The Wine
Dark purple in color, with a bouquet of violet, tobacco and vanilla, the aroma gives way to the complex taste of black cherry and dark fig with overtones of orange peel and candied fruit. Moderate tannins pinch the back of the throat, creating a long and wonderfully lasting finish.