Bates Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Bates Ranch has been farmed by the Bates family for four generations. This historic site is on a rocky slope facing Mount Madonna near Watsonville and our fruit comes from two adjacent blocks including a beautiful old-vine block planted in the early 1970s.  The destemmed whole-berry fruit was fermented and aged for 22 months in 25% new French oak (Barrel Maker: Mercier, Forest: Limosin, Toast: Medium). This wine has a pure and elegant profile with classic Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet notes of currants, balsam fir, chaparral, and spring flowers. Complex, layered and balanced, with fine tannins, it stays graceful and pure on the palate with great transparency and length. We expect it to drink well for more than a decade but its polished structure can be enjoyed now with a short decant or a bit of time in the glass.