Eisele VineyardEstate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

“It was the four hot days in June 2017 that impacted our vines most – it gave us tiny berries,” said Eisele Vineyard's winemaker Hélène Mingot. “Very tiny berries meant we had very little juice – we had to be very gentle on extraction. Then we had to take our time with macerations, to make sure we got all the good stuff. We had to adjust the toast for our barrels. We used more toast to extract less tannins. We pushed bottling time too – we bottled one month later. In the end, everything fell into place, but we had to be patient. This was not our usual recipe. Each lot had to be considered carefully. We had to let go of what is usually one of our better lots, because the tannins just did not get there. Production is down about 30% this year.” Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, “the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon displays a deep garnet-purple color and is a little sluggish to reveal its fragrant core of plum preserves, crème de cassis, blueberry compote and Morello cherries with accents of stewed Darjeeling tea, underbrush, cloves and tobacco leaf plus a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate struts it stuff with amazing poise, structured with very fine, ripe tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and perfumed.” 97 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.