2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

cabernet sauvignon

The 2009 R&B Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning example of our Reserve Cabernet program, continuing the superb legacy of this wine. Big, bold and purely hedonistic, with a dark plum skin color, it is 97% Cabernet with 3% Merlot. The aromas of black cherry, blackberry, floral bouquet, tea and plum immediately grab you and pull you in. As it opens the flavors of blackberry, cherry, semi-sweet chocolate, currants and jammy dark fruits dance in the mouth, with hints of pepper and spice and voluptuous tannins. A long, lingering, smooth, round finish. A classic Napa Reserve Cab.

Vineyards: Bingham Ranch in Calistoga is one of the oldest Cabernet vineyards in the Napa Valley, dating back to 1850s. There are three parcels of vines used in our Cabernet, one is 57 years old, another is 37 years old, and the third is 19 years old. It is a small berry clone with very low yields, approximately one and a half tons per acre. The resulting fruit is very intensely flavored with a rich dark blackberry profile that makes intensely and beautifully structured Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cellar Practices and Winemaking: Perfectly ripe grapes were harvested in late October of  2009. They were crushed into a stainless tank and cold soaked at 50F for 5 days. The temperature was increased to 70F, and cultured yeast fermentation started and lasted thirty days at a peak temperature of 90F. The grapes were gently pressed and the resulting wine racked into barrels, which were 100% new French oak 60 gallon barrels from ten different French coopers: Vicard, Seguin Moreau, St. Martin, Billon, Trieul, Ermitage, Boutes, Jarnac, Bel Air and Chalufour. The Cabernet was blended in the classical way with small amounts of Merlot from the same vineyard. The wine was aged for 36 months in oak and given an additional 24 months of bottle age prior to release.

Vineyards & Composition

Vineyards
100% Napa Valley
100% Bingham Ranch Calistoga

Composition
97% Cabernet Sauvignon
3% Merlot

Harvest Date:
October 30th, 2009
Bottled: August, 2012
Released: Winter of 2014
Production: 900 750ml Cases

Awards

Critics Gold - 2016 Critics Challenge International Wine Competition

Double Gold - 92 Points - 2015 Affairs of the Vine Cabernet Shoot-Out (Read Reviews)

Gold Medal - 93 Points - BTI's 2015 World Wine Championships (Read review)

Critics Gold Medal - 2016 Critics Challenge Int'l Wine Competition

Gold Medal - 2015 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition

Gold Medal - Tasters Guild Consumer Wine Awards

Silver Medal - 2015 Riverside International Wine Competition

Silver Medal - 2016 San Francsico Chronicle Wine Competition