Nose
Our 2019 Cavern Select Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of black currant, tarragon, and pipe tobacco.
Palate
Flavors of cassis, leather, and graphite complement this wine’s fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity.
Growing Conditions
The 2019 vintage began with a cool start. We saw above average rainfall in Paso Robles helping to cleanse soils. The cool weather protracted bud break and bloom delaying our growing season. A heat wave in late July helped to accelerate our delayed season with harvest starting about 7 days late at the end of August. The weather became more seasonal until several frost events in late September and October created challenges for low elevation areas. Luckily, we saw very little frost damage in our vineyards this season. Overall yield in the vineyard is lower than average. While short and somewhat sporadic, vintage 2019 is showing to be rich in flavor and phenolically dense.
Winemaking
In this blend the Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Willow Creek, Geneseo and Creston districts. The wine is aged for 24 months in French oak barrels. Cab is king in Paso, it’s also the most planted variety in the world. In many regions including Paso Robles it is common to blend other Bordeaux varietals together to round out the final blend. Cabernet Sauvignon on it own can be very angular with ripe tannins, by adding other varieties in small quantities you can flesh out the mid palate without losing the Cabernet Sauvignon character.
Food Pairing
Serve with steak with bearnaise sauce, grilled lamb chops and decadent chocolate desserts; Cheese: aged gouda, blue cheese
