WINEMAKER’S NOTES:
Deep in color, this wine unveils fragrant fruit aromas of cassis and black cherry joined with spicy notes of cinnamon and star anise. These powerful flavors are matched by a dense palate that stays smooth through the long, lingering finish. While already approachable, this wine promises additional evolution with cellaring.
For more than thirty five vintages, Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series has represented the “best of the best” of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year select vineyards located throughout Sonoma County’s premier Cabernet appellations are picked at the peak of flavor and then carefully crushed, fermented, and aged. After two years of barrel aging the winemakers taste through all of the individual vineyard lots and select barrel by barrel the most flavorful wines to make up the Artist Series blend.
The vintage of 2010 started with a cool and dry spring that gave way to an early summer with a warm spell in June. The rest of the summer and fall were temperate, slowly ripening the grapes until they were harvested in October. The blend is made primarily from fruit grown on our estate Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards that are located in the southern Sonoma Valley. These vineyards gave the wine its intense flavor and ageability. The remainder of the Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the northern Alexander Valley; this fruit provided the full body and excellent finish. To complement the Cabernet Sauvignon, a small amount of Merlot from our estate vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley was added to the blend.
After bottling, the wine is given an additional 18 months of aging in the bottle before release. Although the blend is very drinkable now it will continue to improve in the bottle for at least a decade.
ACCOLADES:
95 Points – The Tasting Panel
The wine is expressive and spirited, fragranced with chocolate, plum and cassis. Brandied cherries and cinnamon hang out on the upper palate for the entire ride. Enormous in stature, but lush and balanced—October 2014
