2004 Ascentia Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
Located in the center of Alexander Valley, the vineyard sits in the moderate zone between the cooler, southern end of the appellation, which is cooled by diurnal fogs, and its warmer, northern region. Its ndulating hillsides are planted to twenty-year old Cabernet Sauvignon, including a distinctive parcel, or block, nicknamed "The Wedding Cake," for a series of stacked, circular terraces. Unusually diverse in its terroir, the ranch’s soil is composed of an array of marine-influenced and volcanic-influenced parent materials. Together with the site’s myriad sun exposures and varying elevations, these characteristics create up to fifteen unique blocks within the vineyard. Each of these blocks is vinified separately, allowing Schroeter the flexibility to select from a multitude of styles for a eautifully layered wine. Lifted cherry and red fruit aromas mingle on the nose with cedar, cigar box and tobacco leaf notes. The juicy, fruit-forward palate brings raspberry and black cherry fruit to fore, supported by a framework of cedary oak. Give the wine time to breathe, and the tannins smoothen and the palate reveals new nuances of spice. Enjoyable now, the wine will improve in bottle for five to eight years.
| Vintage: | 2004 |
| Wine Type: | Red Wine |
| Varietal: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Appellation: | Alexander Valley |
| Acid: | 0.60 |
| PH: | 3.77 |
| Aging: | 17 months |
| Bottling Date: | 04/06 |
| Alcohol %: | 14.0% |
Ascentia Vineyard’s Cabernet vines produce wines with a flavor and structural profile that is utterly distinct, even within Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Rather than jammy blackberry and cassis flavors, Ascentia Cabernet tends toward vibrant cherry and raspberry fruit. This Bordeaux-like restraint, consistent from vintage to vintage, and distinct from the winery’s neighboring vineyards, is likely due to clonal selection. To preserve the character and typicity of the fruit, the wine was aged in French oak puncheons, large barrels that slow maturation and decrease the amount of the wine’s surface area exposed to oak. – Mick Schroeter
500 Liter French Oak Puncheons (1/3 new oak)
By entering Geyser Peak's Wine Store, you affirm that you are of
legal drinking age in the country where this site is accessed.