Nose
The 2011 ‘El Coyote’ Cabernet is loaded with deep, dark, blue fruit smells. Underneath the fruit lies a savory salt-cured meat aroma that really gets you salivating.
Palate
The mouth is round, sweet feeling (though it’s bone-dry), and just plain delicious. Like the name suggests, it will bring out an animal-like appetite in you.
Growing Conditions
You may have heard how ‘disastrous’, or ‘hopelessly under-ripe’ the 2011 vintage was from the press, but I can assure you that 2011 produced some of the finest wines ever at Kuleto Estate. Because of our altitude, quick-drying soils, and daily breezes, we never have trouble ripening fruit even in challenging years. Our 2011s are loaded with varietal character, perfectly balanced with acid and alcohol, and much more expressive that their warmer vintage counterparts. There are among my favorite wines ever made at Kuleto.
Wine lots and barrels selected for our ‘El Coyote’ Cabernet Sauvignon don’t necessarily come from a particular spot on the estate ( à la Vineyard Designate), but rather share common flavor and structural attributes that highlight the dark, meaty, rich, black fruit aspects of the variety. To further highlight these characters in a cool vintage, we often co-ferment or blend immediately post fermentation with varieties that share these same qualities. You’ll notice the fairly high percentage of Syrah in the 2011. We felt this was necessary in a batch co-fermented with a savory but less than fruity Cabernet Sauvignon. The two varieties went into the tank as separate smaller animals and came out after fermentation as a raging beast.
Aging
26 months 32% new French oak; Only one racking
