Nose

boasts a wonderfully fragrant, captivating nose of dark cherry, fig, boysenberry and blackberry enriched by scents of loam, milk chocolate and brown spices.

Palate

Sumptuous and mouthfilling on the palate with supple tannins and deeply concentrated black cherry, blackberry, boysenberry and plum flavors, this opulent Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon culminates in a long, lush finish full of savory chocolate and toasted oak tones.

Growing Conditions

2010 was a notably cool growing season in California. The year began with substantial rainfall, which pushed back bud break, flowering and grape set by several weeks. After an unusually cool summer, heat spikes in late August kick-started full ripening. Cooler temperatures returned in early September, extending the season and allowing us to harvest our Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at full maturity.

Winemaking

In order to maximize color extraction, tannin structure and vineyard expression, we use a mixture of small and larger tanks to ferment the components of our Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon. Our winemaker carefully tailors tank sizes, yeast strains, fermentation temperatures and maceration techniques to the attributes of each lot of grapes, which vary by location, ripeness level and clonal type. Such specialized fermentations, combined with lot-specific barrel aging regimens, ensure that the finest attributes of each vineyard are reflected in the final blend. Our 2010 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon spent a total of 19 months aging in French oak barrels, 41% new, prior to bottling in April, 2012

Aging

18, 2010
BARREL AGING
19 months in French oak, 41% new