< 1997 Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon
COMPLETE TASTING NOTES
The warm 1997 vintage provided an ideal ripening environment for our old vine Cabernet at Chalk Hill. The majority of the fruit was harvested during the first two weeks of October after a lengthy, steady ripening season interrupted only briefly by August El Niño rains. Clusters were large but berries small, resulting in reasonable vineyard yields and concentrated flavors, an optimal combination which characterized the vintage as a whole.
Traditional techniques, including native yeast fermentations, ageing in French oak, malolactic in barrel, blending with small amounts of other Bordeaux varieties, and quarterly rackings, revealed the quintessential characters of Chalk Hill Cabernet. The wine has aromas of blackberry, black cherry, clove, and ripe plum, overlaid with spicy oak and the peppered earthiness that is an essence of the Chalk Hill appellation. Flavors are complementary, and mid-palate sweetness yields gracefully to firm, broad tannins in the finish. The wine required no fining or filtration, indicative of the innate structure and balance of the final blend.
REVIEW
Wine Enthusiast awards the 1997 Estate Bottled Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points
Complete Review
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- Blend:
- 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
- Vineyard:
- Estate
- Appellation:
- Chalk Hill
- Ageing:
- Twenty months, 56% new French oak
- Harvested:
- Sept. 11 - Oct. 15, 1997, Brix 25.1°, T.A. 6.1 g/l, pH 3.68
- Bottled:
- July 21 - 23, 1999, T.A. 5.8 g/l, pH 3.62
