
2016 Sebastiani Gravel Bed Red, Sonoma County
Winemaker Notes
Our 2016 Gravel Bed Red is a harmonious
expression of the gravely vineyard
sites from a warmer vintage. Deep ruby
with purple hues, this wine is dominated
with peppery spice, currant, cherry, and
coconut on the nose. The entry is smooth
and loaded with blackberry, underbrush,
raspberry and black tea flavors. The nice
structure is framed by elegant tannins
leading to the lingering finish.
Composition
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Malbec
Wine Specs
Vintage
2016
Varietal
Red Blends
Appellation
Sonoma County
Harvest Date
September 14th to October 26th at optimum ripeness
Acid
5.5 g/L
pH
3.8
Aging
10 months in French, Hungarian and American oak barrels
Alcohol %
14.55
Wine & Spirits
91
Production Notes
2016 was a fantastic vintage producing
high quality fruit. It began with an earlier
than average bud break and an intense,
compacted harvest beginning earlier than
average as well. The high temperatures in
August and early September accelerated
maturity and picking times. Overall, this
was an early and light harvest with smaller
berries and concentrated flavors that
produced exceptional quality fruit. The
grapes were harvested under clear night
skies from September 14th to October
26th at optimum ripeness. We cold soaked many of the lots to
increase color and flavor extraction. All
of the grapes were fermented warm and
only a small portion of press wine was
included for aromatics and structure.
After fermentation, all of the individual
lots were racked off the lees and put into
a combination of French and Hungarian
oak barrels for 10 months. A small
portion was put into American oak for a
lesser extent.
Vineyard Notes
Gravelly soils are responsible for some of
the world’s greatest wines. With their
superior draining properties and lack of
nutrients, they encourage better balanced
vines, less sprawl, smaller berries and
more intense wines. Gravel Bed Red, as
the name suggests, is a proprietary blend
showcasing some of the best gravelly sites
in Sonoma County. Our 2016 bottling
features Cabernet from two superb,
rocky/volcanic sites in Sonoma Valley:
Cherryblock and Vimark. The Cabernet
Sauvignon from the Cherryblock vineyard
is a blend of young and old vines. All of
the Merlot in the blend came from the
Cherryblock vineyard, and a small
amount of Malbec from Mission vineyard
was added to round out the final blend.