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Cornell Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon

Sonoma County, United States 2017 (750mL)
Regular price$150.00
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Cornell Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon


Some 20 years ago, Vanessa and Henry Cornell found this remote property, perched at 1,900 feet in the Mayacamas Range, with a history of vine cultivation dating back to the area’s earliest settlers. Of the 240 acres they acquired, they devoted 20 painstakingly farmed Cabernet vineyards and enlisted a dream team—headed by 2019 San Francisco Chronicle “Winemaker of the Year” Françoise Peschon—to craft classically styled, critically acclaimed wines.


Vineyard: Located along the Mayacamas Range just west of the Spring Mountain AVA on the Sonoma County side, the Cornell Estate Vineyard falls into the Fountaingrove District AVA. The Cornell Estate is a microcosm of almost absurd geological diversity. Derived from ancient sea beds and volcanoes, the colorful soils are composed of volcanic rock, sandstone, shale, cobblestone and loamy clay. This diversity and the rolling terrain led to the identification of 20 distinct blocks, each bearing a different combination of variety, clone and rootstock. For optimal blending potential, all five classic red Bordeaux varieties are present in the vineyard which is under the meticulous care of our dedicated, resident team.


Winemakers: Francoise Peschon and Elizabeth Tangney work hand in hand in the production of the Cornell portfolio.  Peschon has always had an affinity for estate properties – for those places that are “about the land and the wines, not necessarily the winemaker.” In her thirty-year career, she’s worked at some of the best—including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Araujo Estate Wines, Viader Vineyards and Vine Hill Ranch—quietly crafting some of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons of the last three decades. Elizabeth Tangney has been making wine in Napa and Sonoma Valleys for several years. She recently began working with Cornell Vineyards as winemaker, and also works with the vineyard team to grow and care for 20 acres of red Bordeaux varietals. Before joining the Cornell Vineyards team, Elizabeth worked with Aaron Pott at Saint Helena Winery as winemaker and the vineyard and estate manager. She has also worked at Bryant Family Vineyards, Booker, L’Aventure, and harvest in Bordeaux.


Winemaking: Adversity built character in the 2017 vintage. Fruit grew steadfast following significant winter rains and persistent bouts of intense heat thereafter. Pursuant of freshness and balance in the wines, a well-executed September harvest led our vineyard to be picked before forest fires arose in the region on October 8th. The final blend consists of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Malbec. The wine was aged for 20 months in 66% new French oak barrels.


Profile-Deep and exhilarating to behold, the 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine of formidable stature with finely textured, lengthy tannins. Warm spices, black tea, creme de cassis, and rose petal entice on the nose, while the palate reveals wild blackberry, fresh coffee beans, and a layer of clove and orange zest. While magnetic upon release, this dynamic wine will reward extended cellaring.


300 cases produced

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United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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