Amista 2017 Rockpile Cabernet Sauvignon
SOLD OUT
This Cab is a true representation of a ‘cool climate’ Cabernet Sauvignon. The rocky terrain of this vineyard site sits at an elevation of 1,800 feet and less than 13 miles to the Sonoma Coast. This all contributes to the complexity of this wine. The nose is full of ripe blackberries, Bing cherry, violet and warm backing spices. The palette boasts of blackberry jam, black current, tobacco with a silky black pepper finish. This wine is a well-balanced with a lingering finish. It’s ready to enjoy now or put some away for years to come – if you can!
Terraza Vineyards is high on a steep rocky hillside in the Rockpile appellation overlooking the Dry Creek Valley.
187 cases made
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, hand harvested
Terraza Vineyards, Rockpile
Healdsburg, California, in the heart of Sonoma wine country
Out Of Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2017
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Rockpile
Vineyard Designation
Terraza Vineyards
Harvest Date
October 6, 2017
Sugar
25.2
Acid
6.2
pH
3.42
Aging
26 months in 30% new French oak barrels
Bottling Date
December 19, 2019
Alcohol %
14.2
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Every year I think I won’t be able to love this wine more and then I do. This vintage has intense aromas of boysenberry syrup, flourless chocolate cake and hints of clove and all-spice. I feel like even from the nose I can tell how much struggle is translated to flavor from the steep and dry-farmed terrain and into the glass. The palate is like chocolate covered blueberries with dusty tannins and bright acid. We held this wine for an extra 4 months over previous vintages to smooth out some of the tannins and it has worked like a charm, allowing all the beautiful fruit to really be showcased in this wine.
Vineyard Notes
Rockpile is such a special appellation. From the proximity to the coast, sitting above the fog line and the steeply terraced vines, one can see where the immense flavors and intensity in the wines originate.
Production Notes
Our Rockpile Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested by hand from steeply trellised terrain starting at daybreak. The grapes were hand sorted both in the vineyard and in the winery before being crushed and destemmed to an open top fermentation tank. The grapes were cold soaked for 5 days to extract the maximum amount of flavor, then inoculated and fermented on the skins for 15 days. After being gently pressed off the skins, the wine was moved to 30% new French oak and the remainder used oak barrels where it completed malolactic fermentation and was racked only once in the 26 months before being bottled.
Winemaker Notes
2017 was a warm and dry vintage here in Sonoma County and while other areas did struggle with this, our dry-farmed Cabernet fared quite well. This vineyard sits at over 1800 feet in elevation and is only about 10 miles from the ocean, as the crow flies. This proximity to the coast allows for much more even grape growing year over year.