The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon begins with aromas of dark cherry, cassis and cinnamon spice with accents of sandalwood. Supple flavors of cherry and raspberry reveal notes of tobacco, cedar and black olive. The texture is rich and even, unfolding into a long, soft finish.

Recommended pairings include grilled lamb chops, rib eye steak and pork loin with mushrooms.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from select vineyards in Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast. Here, the coastline is bordered by the Santa Lucia Mountains, which insulate the region and trap heat during the daytime. Each evening, however, cool coastal air billows through the Templeton Gap, a notch in the mountain range. This climate pattern is ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals, with considerable solar energy to develop fully defined flavors and sufficient natural cooling to maintain excellent structure and balance. The 2010 vintage includes a small lot of Cabernet Franc for enhanced tannin structure and complexity. The Cabernet Franc portion comes from the Firestone family’s Rock Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley.    

The individual vineyard blocks were harvested at optimal ripeness after a long, steady growing season. The Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented in stainless steel tanks with daily pumpovers for a balanced extraction of color and flavor. The Cabernet Franc was fermented in open-top tanks and pressed in a traditional basket press for soft tannin extraction. The separate lots were aged for 12 months in a combination of French oak barrels and French oak upright tanks prior to blending and bottling.  

Cabernet Sauvignon 85%

Cabernet Franc 15%

12 months

French Oak (20% new)

Alcohol by Volume 13.8%

TA .61

pH 3.61

3,953 cases