[Discount Not Available]

WINEMAKER NOTES
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has expressive blueberry, boysenberry and baking spice aromatics. A fresh and inviting wine with unfolding layers of juicy raspberry and red cherry, nutmeg, cedar and graphite with a medium-full body, seamless integrated tannins and a lengthy finish.

WINEMAKING DATA
Grapes were sorted at harvest and cold soaked prior to fermentation. The wine was aged for eighteen months in 48% new oak barrels (62% French, 38% American) and 52% one- to two-year-old barrels before bottling. The barrel coopers included Ermitage, François Frères, Demptos (French & American), Canton (American), Dargaud Jaegle, Orion and Taransaud.

VINTAGE NOTES
The 2017 growing season saw much needed record-breaking winter rainfall which helped replenish groundwater and the vines. The cool, wet start to the season delayed budbreak and bloom compared to the three previous years. The summer and fall months were warm with regular heat spikes to ripen the grapes. Overall, 2017 was reminiscent of the 1997 and 2015 growing seasons. The wines lend to fresh, red fruit characteristics with ample and refined tannin levels.

REVIEWS
92 Points - Wine Spectator
Offers a chunky feel, featuring a mix of dark plum and black currant fruit, with singed mesquite, dried bay leaf, sage and licorice root notes. Shows youthful rambunctiousness, balanced by good underlying structure and ample fruit. Should resolve easily with cellaring. Best from 2022 through 2034. -J.M. (July, 2020)

95 Points & Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast
This is a beautiful wine, effusive in cassis, black cherry, woody cedar and sage. With small amounts of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it offers substantial structure and tannin weight, with ample clove spice and toasted oak. It is built to age; enjoy best from 2025 to 2030. Cellar Selection. —V.B., Sept. 2020

95 Points - James Suckling
Very aromatic with blueberries and blackcurrants, as well as red licorice. Floral, too. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and lightly chewy. Lovely depth of fruit here. Rich and flavorful. Extremely well done for the vintage. Shows more finesse and tightness than 2016. Very classic. One-third of the production. Try it. Already delicious. (Feb. 2020)

Data from https://www.josephphelps.com/