Vineyards
Our Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from several prime vineyard sites in Napa Valley’s gently sloping western benchlands.  These sites enjoy ideal eastern sun exposures, well-drained soils and mild afternoon temperatures, resulting in uniform fruit ripening and cabernet sauvignons of impressive depth and elegance.  In 2007, 54% of our Benchland Select grapes came from the acclaimed Rutherford appellation, with 46% from its equally esteemed southern neighbor, Oakville.  Each lot of grapes was hand-harvested at night to ensure the freshest flavors, and then fermented and aged separately prior to blending.

Vintage 2007
2007 was an exceptional vintage for cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley.   A dry, mild winter and unusually warm spring prompted early budbreak and bloom, followed by a perfect grape set in June.  Summer was consistently mild, with warm days and cool nights, an ideal scenario for achieving maximum grape ripening and flavor development while preserving healthy levels of acidity.  A warm early September and a modest crop got the harvest off to an early, fast-paced start, allowing us to pick our Benchland Select grapes at optimal maturity between September 21st and 29th.

Winemaking
To maximize color extraction, tannin structure and vineyard personality, Cakebread Cellars winemaker Julianne Laks employs a mixture of small and larger tanks to ferment the components of our Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon.   Julianne carefully tailors tank sizes, yeast strains, fermentation temperatures and maceration techniques to the attributes of each wine lot, which vary by location, ripeness level and clonal type.  Such specialized fermentations, combined with lot-specific barrel aging regimens, ensure that the finest attributes of each vineyard site are reflected in the final blend.   Our 2007 Benchland Select spent a total of 22 months aging in French oak barrels, 54% new, before bottling in August, 2009.

Tasting Notes
This sumptuous, exquisitely structured Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon displays bright, ripe blackberry, boysenberry and plum fruit aromas mingled with seductive scents of loamy earth and dark chocolate.  On the full-bodied, beautifully composed palate, the wine delivers wonderfully fresh, deep and concentrated blackberry and dark plum flavors framed by round, supple tannins and a long, succulent finish enriched by savory cocoa and mocha tones.  Dense, lush and seamless, with perfect underlying structure, this delicious Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon drinks beautifully now, but will display even greater complexity with another 6-8 years’ aging.

Grape Varieties:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol Content:
14.9%

Total Acidity: 0.62g/100ml

Vineyards:
Rutherford District - 54%;Oakville District - 46%,

Harvest Dates: September 21-29, 2007

pH: 3.72

Fermentation:
Stainless Steel

Barrel Aging:
22 months in French Oak, 54% new

Winemaker:
Julianne Laks