Mount Eden Vineyards : Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

An Intense Cabernet Sauvignon with Savory Herb and Leather Aromas

Established back in 1945, Mount Eden Vineyards is considered one of the original boutique wineries of California, a true icon of American winemaking. Since taking over as winemaker in 1983, Jeffrey Patterson has made it his life's work to produce pure and authentic wines, expressing the true character of their unique terroir of origin - the soils of infertile Franciscan shale and the sunny but cool climate of the vineyard at an altitude of 2,000 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA. In 2007, Domaine Eden Vineyards acquired a property on a neighboring mountaintop, formerly named Cinnabar and developed by To Mudd in 1983. The property was renamed Domaine Eden, which became the new name for the "Saratoga Cuvee" line of wines made from various terroirs. The Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is a Cabernet-dominant, Bordeaux-style blend made from grapes sourced from Mount Eden, Domaine Eden and three carefully chosen sites in Saratoga and Los Gatos. The various lots are fermented separately with natural yeasts in French oak. The wine is matured for two years (50% in 2-6 year old French oak barrels and 50% in 2-6 year old American oak barrels) and is then bottled without fining or filtering.

The Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 blends 77% Cabernet Sauvignon with 16% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. On the nose, this Bordeaux-style blend reveals intense aromas of savory herbs, pine, cedar and leather, along with roasted plums, licorice and dark-fleshed fruit. On the palate, flavors of red plums and white pepper come forth, upon a chalky, smooth texture and firm tannins. This wine will need some time to open but is ready for decades of age.