2003 VENTANA CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Our winemaking team has continued the Bordeaux Style for our Ventana Cabernet. It suits our estate grapes very well. As with all of Ventana's red wines, our grapes are handpicked at ultimate ripeness which sometimes requires two to three passes through the vineyard.

The grapes are immediately de-stemmed and placed in open-top fermentors for about two weeks or until fermentation stops. During this time the cap is hand-punched for optimum contact between the skins and the juice. The solids are left to be returned to the vineyard and the juice is pumped off into a mix of French and American Oak for a minimum of 18 months barrel aging.

The Ventana Cabernet Sauvignon presents with a deep rich ruby purple color. The nose has a good bit of spicy pepper, cedar and dark luscious fruit. The palate shows strong structure, loganberry, blackberry and briar flavors. This Cabernet has a good bit of spicy oakiness, but not too much, our house style is to use oak as an accompaniment to the fruit’s natural attributes. The wine has medium body tannins for ageability and a long full finish.