Description

Sebastiani Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Since Bill Foley’s purchase of Sebastiani in 2008, the winemaking team has taken a number of steps to produce world-class wines that showcase the great terroir and versatility of Sonoma County. One of the first things done under Foley’s direction was to decrease production, allowing for focused winemaking efforts on exceptional vineyard sites.

The estate vineyards, which were recently replanted, were carefully matched to clones and rootstocks, and the farming protocols to geography, topography and climate. Yields are limited at all properties and each site is farmed on a vine-by-vine basis. As for contract vineyards, they work exclusively with growers who not only farm for quality, but who are situated in the sub-appellations of Sonoma County best-suited for each grape variety.

In the cellar, a huge number of small lot wines are handled. The winemaking team is now able to experiment with techniques such as employing a more natural approach to Chardonnay by fermenting with indigenous yeasts found on the grape skins versus inoculating with commercial yeast strains, for example.

As a result, Sebastiani is making more concentrated, complex wines across all tiers, from the Sonoma County Selection to the Proprietor’s Selection. It’s exciting to be at Sebastiani these days.

Since its creation, Cherryblock has been our flagship wine at Sebastiani. The majority of the fruit is sourced from our original Old Vines block of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 1961. Our goal is to create a benchmark Cabernet that possesses the elegance, structure and terroir-driven aromatics only found in Cherryblock.

Tasting Notes

The 2019 vintage opens with terroir-driven aromatics of crème de cassis, black cherry, baked plum and all-spice. These aromas carry through to a palate that is well structured and full-bodied, with youthful yet firm tannins. A long echoing finish provides additional notes of dark fruit, earth and toasted oak. While drinking well in its youth, this wine will continue to improve and gain complexity over the next 10+ years.

Sebastiani Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon Notes To Your Senses:

• APPEARANCE: Deep, inky ruby color with purple highlights
• AROMA: Crème de cassis, black cherry, baked plum and all-spice with subtle accents of licorice, graphite and crushed walnut adding complexity
• TASTE: full-bodied and structured, offering concentrated dark fruit flavors, blackberry, black cherry and cassis, framed by youthful yet firm tannins and balanced oak integration that lends hints of toasted oak, cedar and earth
• FINISH: long and lingering, echoing dark fruit with savory notes of earth and spice
• ABV: 14.9%