This lush yet focused wine expresses elegant black cherry, plum and cassis fruit offset by notes of chocolate, herbs and cedar with a supple texture and a structure of balanced fruit and tannin confirmed on the finish.
Wine Advocate 92 points - The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is among the finest "regular” Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted from Cakebread. It exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, stunning purity, subtle notes of smoke, black currants, blackberries, spring flowers and toast, good acidity and ripe tannin. This full-bodied yet graceful, deep, silky Cabernet Sauvignon is already irresistible, but it will provide provocative and complex drinking for 15-20 years. (Dec 2010)
Ultimate Beverage Challenge 92 points - Ultimate Wine Challenge 2011 Finalist. Gorgeous garnet color. Deep, round aromas of grape preserves, brambles, vanilla, and bread dough are deep and round. Chewy flavors of cranberry and black raspberry make a lasting impression. A clinic on Napa Valley mature vine cabernet. (May 2011)
Cakebread's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is clear, dark garnet in color with complex, spicy, cedar-like scents and background aromas of cassis and dark berries. On the palate, the texture is rich and smooth with flavors reminiscent of cassis with a hint of chocolate set in a structure of balanced fruit and tannin. These flavors are confirmed on the finish, which is marked by rich, ripe fruit and discreet impressions of oak and spice.
| Wine maker notes |
| The grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and immediately crushed, and each vineyard lot is fermented separately with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks over a period of six to seven days. Each lot of grapes is frequently tasted during fermentation to determine when the extraction is at optimum. At that point, the wine is pressed off the skins in membrane wine presses, keeping the press wine separate from the free-run wine. In this way, Cakebread Cellars' red wines, especially the Cabernets, have their natural fruitiness preserved, while the extraction of harsh, drying tannins is avoided. It is then pressed and returned to stainless steel for complete malolactic fermentation. Following this, the wine is racked into French oak barrels, of which roughly half are new and half of one and two years' use for approximately six months.
Throughout the initial aging process, the various individual lots are continually taste-analyzed to determine the final blend. Depending on the vintage, the finished blend will include up to twenty five percent combined Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with Merlot contributing the greater percentage. Once the final blend is assembled, it is returned to the same French oak barrels to age for an additional 12 to 18 months before being bottled. The only treatments preceding bottling are an egg-white fining and a single passage through a rough filter.
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| Producer |
| The Cakebreads show their commitment to quality through their years of family teamwork, their stewardship of the land, their care in growing and vinifying individual lots of grapes for each wine and their public programs for healthy living. The result is a world-class winery that crafts distinctive wines and welcomes dedicated visitors year after year. |
