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Wine Specs

Vintage	2005
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon
Acid	6.9
PH	3.74
Aging	24 months in new French oak
Alcohol %	14.6

Tasting Notes
Exotic Coombsville hillside terroir notes of violet, cedar, Thai basil, and baking spices blanket a dense, rich core of fruit flavors – blackberry, deep plum, black currant – with a touch of vanilla bean and dark cocoa; deep, chewy tannins provide a voluptuous matrix.

Vineyard Notes
The 2005 growing season was started with a cool wet spring that provided a nice reservoir of moisture to sustain the vines through the long Coombsville growing season. Moderate temperatures continued throughout the summer without notable heat spikes or excessively cool periods. The result was slow, even, ripening and great flavor development. Throughout the North Coast, crops were generous and an aggressive approach to fruit thinning was required to maximize the quality from this near perfect growing season.

Production Notes
The Porter Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested by hand between October 20th and November 1st in 2005 at an average of 25.0 Brix. All fermentations were conducted in small, one and two ton fermenters filled by gravity. A five day cold soak period preceded a warm fermentation peaking at 90°F. The fermenters were punched down by hand 3 to 4 times a day during the fermentation period. After fermentation was complete, the grapes were kept in contact with the wine for a total of 30 days as the tannins softened and continued to provide structure and roundness to the wine. Upon pressing, the wine went directly to 100% new French oak cooperage. The wine was then aged for 24 months prior to bottling with rackings at 3 – 4 month intervals throughout the aging period. The final blend includes 12% Syrah and 3% Merlot from the Porter Estate Vineyard, which provides nice richness to the front palate of the wine as softening the tannic structure of this hillside Cabernet.

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