Eisele Vineyard – Altagracia Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (750ml)

Description

The 2011 vintage highlights the very character of the Eisele Vineyard. During spring, the vineyard was nearly through flowering when late spring rains reduced fruit-set elsewhere in the region. The cool temperatures of summer allowed the average-sized crop to mature evenly, and the vineyard had almost reached optimal ripeness when storms delivered early rain. Harvest started late September, concluding a season that required considerable patience to achieve tannin and phenolic ripeness, as each parcel came to optimum maturity one after the other. The rigorous pre-sorting in the vineyard reduced the challenge of the second sorting at the winery, as the regular crew of a dozen in the vineyard was augmented until 50 workers were removing affected berries, cluster by cluster. The last parcels of Cabernet were picked on October 23rd. Fermentations in small tanks proceeded without delay. The wine was then aged in new French oak barrels for 19 months and bottled in August 2013.