2022 Cabernet Sauvignon

I operate under the assumption that everything I do in the vineyard will slightly improve the wine.  There is a belief that I will make better, truer wines by being present in my vineyard every day.  The moment I entertain doubt, I lose confidence and motivation.  Sometimes growing Cabernet Sauvignon in a cool climate can foster those feelings of doubt, as no varietal that we grow is more dependent on the length of the growing season and warm fall conditions.

Perhaps that is why I have mixed feelings about naturally light crop vintages like 2022.  On one hand, a lower yield is just what the doctor ordered for ripeness and tannic maturity in your fruit.  On the other hand, it could be proof that we tend to overcrop our Cabernet Sauvignon in most other seasons, leading to unplanned late season crop adjustments.  Either way, it always comes down to the amount of growing degree days experienced by that crop (heavy or light) in a given season and there is little you can do to influence that!

The 2022 vintage turned out to be a dream season for low-yielding Cabernet Sauvignon in Niagara.  We ended up with some of the ripest Cab we've cultivated to date (24.4ºBrix) on one of our earliest harvest days ever (October 16th).  Fruit for this wine was sourced from both of our clones, 169 and 191.  Each block was hand-picked and gently destemmed into its own bin.  The wine was allowed a four day cold soak before indigenous yeast fermentations started naturally, then were managed with three daily punchdowns.  The wine was dry after five more days with a peak fermentation temperature of 32ºC.

Given the ripeness of the fruit, I remained cognisant of the potential overextraction of tannins throughout the fermentation process.  I made it a habit to taste each bin daily to evaluate the mouthfeel, noting if there were any significant changes to the tannic profile.  When all the elements felt balanced, we opted to lightly press both bins in our traditional small basket presses.

Four French oak barrels (25% new oak) housed the wine for two years and what evolved was a truly special wine.  It is expressively aromatic, even in its youth, and shows equal parts depth and approachability on the palate.

There is no doubt about it, I grow Cabernet Sauvignon to make wines like this.