2009 Chuy CabNelligan Road Ranch
We are so proud and excited about this wine. This is our second cabernet ever. Yet once again, we can be proud only as shepherds; whatever is excellent in the wine came directly from the remarkable vineyard. The fruit is from a 40-year-old dry-farmed cabernet vineyard, planted on Nelligan road (on the west side of Spring Mountain, facing Glen Ellen) by Chuy Ordaz, and dry farmed by him and his family for its whole life. Chuy also helped to establish and farm Margit’s vineyard, our only other cabernet source, only a few miles from this venerable ranch.
Chuy picked this fruit for us, two tons, on the last day of harvest 2009 — the 21st of October, after three rains and right before the skies finally opened for good. The fruit came in fully ripe, utterly clean, brilliantly developed — and at a potential alcohol of 14 percent. This low level (for us!) is the result of dry farming, old vines, and late season rains.
The wine is very noble and old school; a Roman Senator representing another place and time.
15 cases produced