Nose
Black licorice and cassis are often hallmark attributes of Kuleto Estate cabernet, and this wine has them both in spades.
Palate
In the mouth, the wine arcs gracefully over the mid-palate and melts over the sides.
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 “Lone Acre” Cabernet Sauvignon don’t necessarily come from a particular spot on the estate (The Vineyard Designate), but rather share common flavor and structural attributes that highlight what I think are the strongest varietal character of cabernet. The idea is to create a wine that is at once Old and New World in impression, i.e. the fruit is deemphasized in the aroma, but the mouth is rich and flavorful without being heavy. The 2011 vintage was perhaps the perfect vintage to craft our “Lone Acre” wine. Never excessively fruity and with seamlessly integrated tannins due to the late harvest, each batch of wine came out of the fermenter beautifully balanced.
Harvest
26 months in 75% new French oak with only one racking.
Aging
26 months in 75% new French oak with only one racking
