
2014 Sebastiani Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley (1.5L Magnum)
97+ Points - Wine Advocate
Winemaker Notes
Our 2014 Cherryblock is deep crimson in color, and has dusty, Cabernet aromas with wet stone, crème de cassis, and notes of forest
floor. The palate is marked by elegance and structure, and bursts with intense flavors of black cherry, blackberry, forest floor, and
graphite that linger pleasantly. The firm tannins frame the generous fruit and are nicely balanced. This wine will improve with age over
the next 4-6 years, but can be enjoyed now with 1-2 hours of decanting.
Composition
94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec
Wine Specs
Vintage
2014
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Sonoma Valley
Harvest Date
September 24th to October 4th, 2014
Acid
5.9 g/L
pH
3.52
Aging
14 months in 70% new French oak barrels
Bottling Date
June 2016
Alcohol %
14.9
Wine Advocate
97
Production Notes
After harvest, the grapes were crushed, de-stemmed and hand sorted using our “micro-crush” equipment to eliminate any stem pieces
(jags) and botrytised berries. We also did a cold soak and saignée to enhance color and concentration. After pressing, each lot was blended or egg-white fined depending on its characteristics. The wine was aged for 14 months in French oak barrels, 70% of which were new.
Vineyard Notes
Since its creation, Cherryblock has been our flagship wine at Sebastiani. The majority of the fruit (94%) came from our original Old
Vines block of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 1961. The wine also features a portion of fruit from younger vines on our estate. Small
amounts of Malbec and Merlot were sourced from nearby sites with similar climates and soils. Our goal is to create a benchmark
Cabernet that possesses the elegance, structure and terroir-driven aromatics only found in Cherryblock. 2014 was our second drought year throughout winter and spring. We had bud break in late-March and good fruit set in early May.
Summer was consistently warm, but in our eyes not too extreme. The warm weather lasted until early fall making for an unseasonably
early harvest and presenting a more fruit forward vintage. The grapes were harvested under the clear night skies from September 24th
to October 4th at optimum ripeness.