Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2012

Vineyards in the Sky, the memoir about the life of our founder Martin Ray, mentions that in his thirty years of experience, twenty-five inches of winter rainfall was a harbinger of a great vintage. Twenty-five inches is what we received from the skies in 2008. This amount is considered a drought and we had an even drier year in 2007. Under this severe water stress the vines produce a lot less fruit and this Cabernet vintage resulted in the magical blend of power and weightlessness which is what we strive for.

To quote Robert Parker Jr.'s Wine Advocate tasting notes: "The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes across as silky, perfumed and impeccably balanced. Dark red berries, flowers, mint and spices flesh out in this gracious and medium-bodied wine. The Estate is all about subtly and class. Sweet floral notes reappear to frame the exquisite finish."

This is a complete expression of our mountaintop vineyard. Unfined, unfiltered and fermented on indigenous yeasts, this wine should reach full development by 2018.

Production

1,218

Tech Notes

Yield: 2.0 tons per acre Harvest: September 18th-October 30th Numbers @ Harvest: 23.0 Brix, 3.4 pH, 8.0 grams acidity Cepage: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot & 2% Petit Verdot Barrel Regimen: French 50%; American 50%--3/4 new; aged 22 months in barrel Bottling: August 2010; no fining or filtration Alcohol: 13.5%

Reviews

93 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate - August 2012

Issue #202

Mount Eden’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes across as silky, perfumed and impeccably balanced. Dark red berries, flowers, mint and spices flesh out in this gracious, medium-bodied wine. The Estate is all about subtlety and class. Sweet floral notes reappear to frame the exquisite finish. The blend is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028.

93 points Wine & Spirits Magazine - October 2012

Tightly built, focused on tart, woodland cherry flavor, this finds a fresh balance between juicy and firm. Oak adds richness to the tannins, tiling the balance in their direction, but the fruit has a cool persistence that isn’t about to give up.  If you like coastal cabernet (what else would you call a Mèdocain blend/), this is a Pacific red that belongs on your cellar.

90 points Wine Spectator - October 2012

Rustic, dense, chewy and tannic, but also deeply concentrated, so be patient with the potent currant, crushed rock and cedar flavors. Best to let this sleep for a few years, or at least give it a good decant. Best from 2015 through 2028. 1,218 cases made. –JL

90 points Cellar Selection Wine Enthusiast Magazine - December 2012

Tough and tannic, this is made in a more aggressive style than many of today’s Cabernets. There’s a rich, intense core of blackberry jam that suggests superbly ripe fruit, and the oak is well integrated. Those tannins make it hard to appreciate at this time. Your best bet is to cellar the wine for a good eight years.  — S.H.