Description

Normal cropping levels with a cooler growing season left us wondering if they were going to get ripe. Then during September and October the heat came on and the grapes started to accelerate in veraison. We were thinking of picking in the middle of October when the first rains loomed on the horizon. This situation wasn’t unusual since we often get an inch or two of rain during harvest. Rain washes the dust off Cabernet and helps soften them for better extraction. However, this storm dropped 5 inches which caught us off guard. As soon as the vines had time to dry out we picked, about two weeks earlier than normal. This gave us a wine with a slightly tighter tannin structure yet it still has a very focused and concentrated aroma of cassis with a red fruit twist like the 2007.

Classic M Squared styling. Some of the oldest Cabernet Vines in California. Gravity flow vinification with a combination of submerged cap and punch down management at 28 days on the skins. This was followed by 42 months in new French oak 100%. Unfined. Three and a half years in bottle before release.