90 Points - Wine Advocate
"Blended of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 30 new French oak for 16 months, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley features crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and wild blueberry scents with suggestions of wild sage, black soil and tapenade. Full bodied with a wonderfully plush, fine-grained frame, it has a lively line cutting through the densely packed fruit, finishing long. 82,215 cases produced." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, October 2018
Tasting Notes
This Cabernet is built each vintage on the notion of a Bordeaux blend, with soft and silky tannins crafted for immediate enjoyment. Aromas of lavender and clove join flavors of dark red fruit led by boysenberry, huckleberry, raspberry, black cherry and evident oak spice are joined with more traditional Knights Valley tones of black and blue fruits. Fine acidity and elegant structure lead to a touch of licorice and mocha, rounding out a lingering, pleasant finish.
Vineyard Notes
Located 17 miles northwest of the winery, Knights Valley vineyard is approximately 600 acres, and has rocky, well-drained soils that are perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Vintage Notes
The 2016 Sonoma harvest was early, with a mostly normal yield of exceptional quality fruit throughout the state. A relatively even growing season followed welcome winter rains that helped to alleviate the drought. Temperatures cooled down mid-September, providing a welcome seven to ten-day break in between harvesting. Overall, yields were down from the long-term average, while wine quality was exemplary.
Winemaking Notes
To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, each is monitored carefully through the vinification and aging process. Extended maceration created larger tannins to enhance the lush mouthfeel of the blend and extracted a maximum of color, aromas and flavors. The wines were then aged in French oak barrels (30 percent new) for sixteen months and underwent malolactic fermentation for further development of texture and mouthfeel.
