2023 Groundwork Cabernet Sauvignon

We harvested nine tons of Cabernet Sauvignon on September 21st from the Estrella River zone and an additional nine tons of cabernet on the 23rd from the Geneseo district. This vintage we decided to additionally harvest 2.5 tons of El Pomar Region Petite Verdot to add structure to the blend. El Pomar The shaly loam soils of El Pomar are made up of calcareous fragments and secondary lime deposits resulting in moderately alkaline soils growing petite verdot grapes with great structure and acidity. Estrella River The dry river bed soils of the Estrella sub AVA are a mix of sand and clay loam producing cabernet with notes of cassis and the signature finish of sweet herb and black tea leaf. Geneseo The rolling terraces of Geneseo are made up of silty clay and clay loam with some decomposed calcareous soils well below the surface. Geneseo is known for moderate to low nutrient levels providing complex flavor profiles of blackberry, blueberry and currant in cabernet. All three lots were trucked directly to the winery in half-ton bins and destemmed into closed top stainless steel tanks upon arrival. The fruit was allowed to begin a natural fermentation with native yeasts and given one pumpover per day until dry. Upon completion of fermentation, the fruit was gently pressed separating the juice from the skins. The pomace was collected and hauled offsite to be utilized as fertilizer and bio-fuel. The juice was sent to small, mostly neutral French barriques to age for 18 months. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered on February 22, 2024 with minimal SO2.