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: 2017 Birichino "Peter Martin Ray Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Birichino "Peter Martin Ray Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

SKU #1483481 94 points Vinous

Outer quote mark Inky violet color. A highly complex bouquet displays smoke-accented cherry, cassis, pipe tobacco and incense aromas and an exotic spice overtone. Firm and energetic on the palate, offering concentrated dark berry, bitter cherry, floral pastille, chewing tobacco and succulent herb flavors that deepen, spread out and pick up a hint of cola with aeration. Seamless, focused, lithe and distinctly old school in character, in the best way, finishing impressively long and spicy, with building florality and dusty tannins lending closing grip. 13.5% alcohol here, by the way. (JR) Inner quote mark (10/2020)

K&L Notes

Winemaker's Notes: "Late on a Sunday night during harvest in September 2017, John got a text with an offer we couldn’t refuse. The patriarch of the Ray family, retired Stanford botanist Peter Martin Ray, was offering us some fruit. His vineyard, located in the Chaîne d'Or of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is one of the most celebrated neighborhoods in California winedom, with a history to match. The original cuttings were sourced from 19th Century plantings of Dr. Emmett Rixford and Paul Masson, from whom Peter’s late father, the winemaking iconoclast Martin Ray, had learned to make wine in the early decades of the 20th Century. Martin Ray began planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir here in 1943, adding Cabernet Sauvignon to this ridge-top in the mid-1950s. In 1972, most of the original land was ceded to Martin Ray's investors to become Mt. Eden, but the family retained two choice parcels, farming them organically, and without irrigation. This hilltop of shallow Franciscan shale, 1800’ above Silicon Valley, lies just to the southeast of Monte Bello. The 2017 vintage is a dark purple crimson, with amazingly dense aromas of black currant and violets, and a long finish that remains wonderfully lifted and fresh, but firmly supported by fine tannins that remind us of the lineage of the source material for these vines: cuttings brought in the 1880s from Château Margaux."

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2017 Birichino "Peter Martin Ray Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $74.95

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VN: 94

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Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Cruz Mountains

- Vineyards dot the valleys and ridges of this coastal AVA just south of San Francisco. Microclimates make it difficult to generalize, and vineyards are frequently separated by acres of forests and meadowlands (not to mention entire towns!), but this is nonetheless known as a cooler-climate zone ideal for pinot noir. Ridge is doubtless the most famous local producer, with its cabernet blend, Monte Bello, named after a Santa Cruz mountain peak. High-quality, low-production chardonnay and some Rhône varietals prosper as well.

Alcohol Content (%):

13.5

Organic: