Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

The wines from our vineyard this year show complex cassis, bramble, tea and tobacco notes buoyed by unusually rich and dense chocolate enrobed blackberry, dark cherry and black plum flavors laced with clove and nutmeg. As the wine finishes, flavors turn to blackberry, mocha, anise, and a hint of mint carried on rich velvety mountain tannins. Beautiful now with decanting, the wine will continue to develop for a decade or more.

The Hidden Ridge Vineyard lies within an enclosed valley on steep mountainside slopes with largely East and South exposures. The soils are a complex mixture of uplifted alluvium and decomposed volcanic material typical of the Mayacamas Range, and vary depending on site. The majority of the vineyard is terraced. Lean soils and steep slopes naturally limit vine vigor and give remarkably small berried fruit. Although the vineyard is above the fog and sees warm days, the site is protected from the heat of the inland valleys and receives cooling early morning and late afternoon breezes that maintain a moderate growing temperature somewhat cooler than Spring Mountain directly to the East. This extended growing day at moderate temperatures gives the fruit well‐developed tannins and rich texture while preserving the complex fruit characters lost in warmer locations.

The fruit was handpicked at the peak of ripeness, and hand sorted to remove leaves and any imperfect berries. A five day cold soak was followed by a two‐week fermentation using indigenous and selected yeasts and twice‐daily pumpovers. The wine was pressed off after macerating on the skins for more than 40 days, then racked into 85% new French oak for 20 months. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.