2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Notes

by Barnard Griffin

Vintage Notes

The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of black currants, cherries and cassis with rich vanilla undertones. This is a VERY big wine in the mouth with moderate tannins and good alcohol.

Vineyards

The 2003 growing season was much like 2002 with very warm weather and good ripening fruit that gave us excellent structure and depth. Color extraction was perfect in 2003. Ultra ripe fruit and extended contact led to excellent color. Vineyards that were again stressed for water in the later parts of the growing cycle showed Cabernet with good weight. Here is the breakdown of my Cabernet vineyard sources used in the 2003 vintage:

AlderRidge Columbia River/Alderdale
Wahluke Slope Vineyard Columbia Valley/Wahluke Slope
Crawford Vineyard Yakima Valley
Caroway Vineyard Columbia Valley
Champoux Vineyard Columbia Valley/Alderdale

Wine Making

Pasteur Red yeast was used at a Max fermentation of 86 degrees F
Pump-overs 2 to 3 times daily until fermented to dryness
5800 cases produced and Bottled 3/05
Malo-lactic positive
Aged in primarily European oak barrels—Med + toast