Chimney Rock Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 2008
Clone 7 skillfully displays ideal vineyard balance, and will please even the biggest palate while offering a host of bright fruit flavors and silky, elegant tannins.
Tasting Notes
Lush and rich, this wine has intense structure but is enveloped by a rich mid-palate, with a rich and long finish. This wine has the usual muscular structure and bright red fruit – but the 5% Petit Verdot shines through adding a nice layer of blackberry/blueberry fruit and adding a bit of extra viscosity. This wine has the structure of the hillside from which it comes but the elegance our wines have come to be known for.
Vineyard Notes
Cardiac Hill, the source for Clone 7, is one of two mountainside vineyards at Chimney Rock. Located at the northern edge of the estate, this vineyard block is named for its steep, challenging aspect. The intense sun exposure of these hills, along with the shallow, volcanic soils in this area, necessitates only the heartiest Cabernet Sauvignon clones. Our Clone 7 vines, planted in 1995 to the similarly hardy 3309 rootstock, succeed admirably, offering a muscular wine full of bright fruit flavors.
Production Notes
The 2008 vintage brought us some early frost challenges but a beautiful warm growing season. Consequently the yields were low and the quality extraordinary. This was the warmest vintage of the decade second only to 2004. In contrast to the 2007 wines, there is a slightly more elegant structure and, though the wines have beautiful aromatics, this vintage carries with it more nuance and less flash.
| Vintage |
2008 |
| Appellation |
Stags Leap District |
| Fermentation |
30 days skin contact time |
| Alcohol % |
14.00% |
| Size |
750 ml |
