Organic (all of the vineyards are either practicing organic, certified organic, or in the process of converting to organic farming). 91% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Petite Verdot, 3% Cab Franc. Cab sourced from 3 vineyards: the 60 yr old Brigantino Vineyard originally planted for Almaden, the 45yr old Wheeler Ranch growing in calcareous alluvial deposits over the San Benito Arroyo, and the 75 year old Tres Pinos Creek Vineyard in silty alluvial deposits. Petite Verdot from Paicines AVA, rocky alluvial deposits above the Tres Pinos arroyo. All vineyards experience warm days, cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars. Fermented whole berry (grapes that are destemmed) with a very light crush in open top fermenters, allowing slower extraction, of tannins into the must and lots of oxygen into the fermentation for polymerization of tannins. Pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months on lees in mostly neutral barrels with a couple of active oak barrels sprinkled in.
