Nose
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Celestial (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a stunner. World-class notes of blackberry, blackcurrants, graphite, licorice, and even a hint of unsmoked cigar tobacco.
Palate
A full-bodied, rich, super-concentrated wine with low acidity, ripe but significant tannin, and a finish of a good 45+ seconds.
Growing Conditions
The 2013 vintage had a classic, near perfect growing season.The long growing season, moderate temperatures, lack of major heat spikes and lack of rain during most of harvest made for one the best vintages in recent years.The harvest for Cabernet Sauvignon started on October 9th.
Winemaking
The grapes were hand picked and delivered to the winery. The grapes were de-stemmed and sorted, then pumped into the tank for a 5 day cold soak at 50 degrees. When the fermentation began, we pumped over the tank twice per day. Native yeast fermentation lasted for 16 days, followed by a short heated extended maceration of 3 days. The free run was drained from the tank overnight. The wine was barreled down into 70% new French oak and 30% once used French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wine was aged for 28 months and bottled unfiltered.
Aging
The wine was barreled down into 70% new French oak and 30% once used French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wine was aged for 28 months and bottled unfiltered.
