2018 Transcendent Cabernet Sauvignon

Description

WINEMAKING

A meticulous – or some might say, obsessive-pursuit of perfection underlies each step taken to craft this Cabernet. The grapes for the 2018 Transcendent come from a select few of our favorite vineyard blocks.  Once grapes reached ideal ripeness, they were harvested by hand in the early dawn.  The cool morning temperatures preserve the fruit’s delicate flavors and keep the grapes at an ideal temperature. Upon arrival at the winery, we hand sort the fruit before it is destemmed into small fermentation tanks. After a few days of cold soaking, the must is gently warmed and yeast was added to initiate fermentation. We ‘pump-over’ many times during the 14-21 day fermentation, allowing for maximum extraction of fruit flavor, color and tannin from the skins. We then allowed the free run wine to gravity flow from the skins directly to the barrel. The skins were gently pressed, the wine going to barrels to mature separately. The wines were allowed to mature for 18 months in barrel before being blended and prepared for bottling. As the lots aged separately, periodic tastings evaluated their quality. The best barrels were earmarked as potential components of Transcendent. The final wine is the culmination of countless rounds of blind tastings and trial blends, as well as more than four years of anticipation.