Our Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon

Our production of Cabernet Sauvignon only uses grapes grown at Scherrer Vineyard in Alexander Valley.

Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine is a unique and exotic expression of Alexander Valley benchland Cabernet Sauvignon. Best known for Zinfandel, Ed Scherrer first planted this variety in 1990. This 100% varietal wine enjoys both youthful suppleness and structure for a long life. It was bottled without fining or filtration to respect the expression of this site.

2004: "Keeping with our mode of holding onto our wines longer than one would expect, here is our 2004 Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. As with the previously offered Sonoma County and Alexander Valley Cabs, the very warm vintage lead to very generous wine. Still very typical cassis and hint of red fruit, this also has a mouth-watering cherry lifesaver note on the finish, which really gives it a nice lift. Not sweet or cloying, it is 'just right.' It should age quite well due to its appropriate concentration, structure and balance, just like our other vintages. 200 cases produced. $45 per bottle, $25 per half bottle, $95 per magnum."

-- Spring, 2008 newsletter

2003: " The vineyard outdid itself in2003 and is without a doubt, my favorite bottling of our Scherrer Cabernet to date. It has the structure and balance to age a long time, but also is approachable enough for one to enjoy this with a meal in the near-term as well. Our nonaerative winemaking really takes time to complete the barrel ageing portion, but is worth the wait. Generally, if our Cabernet Sauvignon is less than 7 years old, it benefits greatly from decanting before consumption in order to ‘wake up.’ 338 cases produced. $45 per 750 mL bottle, $24 per 375 mL half bottle, $92 per 1.5 L"

-- Library Tasting, 2006 newsletter

2002: "Over the years, our Cabernet style has evolved to a more 'reductive' development. This means less manipulation, less pumping, less 'oxidative' upbringing…kind of like our Pinot Noir and Zinfandels. I have found that this method preserves the perfumes and texture of the wine, and should greatly increase bottle ageing potential. This method requires more time in barrel before bottling (nearly three years). One of the best aspects of this variety is the complexity that it can achieve with lengthy bottle ageing. So, I feel that it is a waste to let that potential slip away by over manipulating the wine in the winery in order to make it taste like flat soda pop upon release. When the wine is less than 7 years old, it benefits greatly from decanting before consumption in order to 'wake up.' Those of us who want current satisfaction only need to take an active role in consumption by giving an aerative splashing into a decanter awhile before serving. That said, I believe this vintage of our Cabernet to have the highest long-term potential. Bottles I have opened for recent visitors have been absolutely fantastic after 6-7 days without protection from air aside from a cork. 380 cases produced. $42 per 750 mL, $23 per 375 mL, $86 per 1.5 L."

-- Library Tasting, 2005 newsletter

2001: "This is what I consider the finest part of Dad's vineyard that is unique to the site. If you liked the 2001 Alexander Valley bottling released earlier this year, you will love this wine. It has the structure and density of fruit to age a very long time and the complexity to tickle your imagination as well as satisfy one's hedonistic urges. Unmistakable, classic Cabernet Sauvignon with friendly texture to make it reasonably approachable in its youth. 440 cases produced. $42 per 750 mL, $23 per 375 mL, $86 per 1.5 L."

-- Library Tasting, 2004 newsletter

Update: "The 2001 Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) has just begun to hit its stride after nearly two years in bottle. It received some pretty high praise by the Wine Enthusiast last November (93 points) which probably signals the very beginning of its approachability. I still advocate more cellar ageing for this wine to reach its potential. Nonetheless, having somehow run across a number of open bottles, I can report that it is pretty tasty at the dinner table these days, especially with decanting. So you may begin seeing it in restaurants now."

-- Spring, 2006 newsletter

2000: "A generous fruit set caught many growers and winemakers by surprise in 2000. From this, I can understand why an insensitive, formulaic approach to the vintage would fall short. Since flavor development was rather slow this season, it took many more days on the vine than usual to get it just right. The Cabernet vines also had to have their leaf canopies 'sculpted' in a particular way to get enough sunlight on the fruit to develop ripe flavors and textures without becoming naked to the sometimes hot, beating sun. Fortunately, the slowly changing chemical balance of the resulting fruit was still great when the flavor and tannin ripeness I was looking for finally arrived. Additionally, strict selection for blending our various Cabernet bottlings was also necessary to produce the kind of harmony and balance we value (i.e. 'Alexander Valley bottling from the spring, and Vin Rouge, below). This 2000 Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a substantial, sleek and refined wine. French coopers from the Bordeaux and Cognac regions as well as several other European and Canadian wine importers that have tasted through the cellar have consistently preferred this vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon to any other in our barrels or bottles. Many US wine merchants also share this love of this wine. It is more rounded and approachable in its youth than the past couple of vintages were at release, but it still has the stuffing to age and develop well into the future. 360 cases produced. $40 per bottle, $21 per 375 mL. Available now."

1999: "Everyone seemed to love the forward 1999 Alexander Valley bottling released this spring. Now, here is the unique expression of my father's vineyard: less herbal, more fruit-focused and structured, broody and mysterious. Had I encountered Cabernet Sauvignon like this many years ago, I would have more of this variety in my cellar. Don't be fooled by the fact that it tastes good now. It should age a long time. I am also pleased to have found the types of barrels that fit this material perfectly. It has absolutely digested and incorporated its 75% new oak during its 30 month barrel aging, confirming that there is a lot of wine in this wine. 300 cases produced. Release Price: $40 per bottle."

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is typically one of the softer, rounder manifestations of this variety. This is the more open-structured of our two Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet bottlings, which reveals its accessible, yet substantial and age-worthy personality. Rich, plummy, lightly herbal, toasty, with mild cassis character, this unfined and unfiltered wine will compliment a wide variety of foods for many years.

2004: "The heat experienced during the 2004 vintage pushed this Cabernet Sauvignon right toward the soft, plush textured zone. This natural lushness is accentuated and balanced by the relatively generous use of new top-end French oak. Like the above wine, this has cassis and fresh loam, but the loamy side is carried much further by the gorgeous new wood. While it is rich and thick, it still has enough acidity and structural tannin to be very good with meals. 190 cases produced. $35 per bottle. Half bottles $18.50."

-- Library Tasting, 2007 newsletter

2003: "This is 100% Scherrer vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that speaks more of the region than the specific site. Fortunately, this appears to be a vintage that will 'open up' a bit sooner than the previous two vintages. I am very pleased with both 2003 Cabs as well as the Cabernet 'Vin Rouge' offered right after bottling last Spring. The vineyard designate will be released in November.

"This 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has inviting initial aromas of cassis, sweet vanilla and freshly tilled loam. On the mouth, ample, round, but firmly-centered tannins are balanced by moderately soft acidity. Black fruits are the first flavors spiced up with hints of leather, then back to cassis and fresh loam toward the finish finally leaving a red fruit tone. In other words, it has all the things I value in CA Cabernet-based wines, along with an added bonus of a little red fruit pop at the very end. For those of us who eat red meat, this will truly shine with animals that say moo or baah. 220 cases produced. $35per bottle. $18.50 per half bottle."

-- Autumn, 2006 newsletter

2002: "There has been a lot of hype surrounding this vintage, regardless of variety. Well, I must admit that some of it is warranted. As a result of truly minimal handling, we bottled this in May 2005, quite late for most producers. Surprisingly complex, it is showing its youthful cassis most toward the forefront right now. The generous French oak is already well integrated (only I know how much there is really there). Textural, chewy, firm and juicy with a long, zippy finish, it should continue to integrate well over the next 4-5 years. For those who are impatient, when paired with big food it is extremely pleasurable right now. The vineyard designate will be released this November. 120 cases produced. $32 per bottle."

-- Spring, 2005 newsletter

2001: "This wine is proof of the exceptional quality of the 2001 vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in the area.

"It is 100% varietal, from a portion of the Scherrer vineyard illustrating the concentration and focus of this region in a great vintage. This is definitely a serious wine. It has beautiful perfumed varietal aromatics closely related to the Scherrer Vineyard bottling, yet it's still different. Its beacon-like balance didn't harmonize with the Scherrer vineyard designate (still waiting to be bottled, even after 29 months). Stuart Piggot, a well-known wine journalist from Europe recently visited and told me that he thinks most Napa Cabernet producers he has visited would love to have even two barrels of this wine as a reserve lot and to charge significantly more. Cab lovers take note: this is not to be missed. 220 cases produced Release price: $32 per bottle, 12 bottle limit."

-- Spring, 2004 newsletter

2000: "This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Scherrer Vineyard speaks more of the Alexander Valley region and less of the specific site than the unique Scherrer Vineyard bottling (released in the fall), hence the regional designation. The 2000 vintage is slightly more open and forward than the 1999 vintage, but is still definitely a serious wine. The grapes developed very slowly in 2000, causing us to wait many days longer than Dad's other grape customers to finally schedule picking. This allowed the full development of the typical cassis, plummy, classically varietal flavors. The finish is very long, rich, mouth-watering, friendly and engaging. This regional designate is definitely in the 'House Style' and stands up well beside our past 'Alexander Valley' and 'Scherrer Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignons. The 1999 vintage has 'buried' many wines at twice the price. 320 cases were produced. Release price: $30 per bottle."

2004: "Bright, red fruit, cassis, freshly-tilled loam aromas are followed by snappy, ripe plum and cherry pie on the mouth. Working with the Cab from this vineyard for a decade now, I can see how either 0% or 100% new French oak can work well to different effect. This wine is the 0% end of the spectrum, which shows the 'naked' fruit very well. 108 cases produced. $25 per bottle."

2003: "Vinifying small lots from particular sites year after year, one comes to know and expect certain personalities or profiles as a standard by which successive vintages are compared to. We have the fortunate position of fermenting very small batches, then assembling them in a deliberate way during ageing, and finally bottling according to the wines' own schedule whenever they are ready. Sometimes we have fermentation lots that do not fit the typical profile because of variations in the vintage character. That was the case with the recent 'Zinfandoodle' where we combined two different vintages of Zinfandel that fought the usual harmony of the OMV.

"In 2003, we had some Cab lots from my dad's vineyard that did not fit perfectly into either of our Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings, but were delightful as a separate bottling. Calling it simply 'Vin Rouge' (red wine) does not begin to do it justice, but those of you who scored on the 2000 Vin Rouge already understand. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Scherrer vineyard. 200 cases produced. $25/bottle"

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