2001
Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon, Hyde Vineyard Carneros, Napa Valley
Winemaker's Notes
Brilliant, black/blue color. Vibrant aromas of black cherry, cassis, and nutmeg. The lively, ripe fruit flavors are interwoven with licorice and black pepper. This wine is rich, full-bodied, with smooth, polished tannins and a very lengthy finish. Alcohol 14.5%
Diligent work in the vineyard to limit a large crop set helped optimize flavor intensity and richness in the grapes. Cool weather in late September and October extended the harvest providing for enhanced flavor development.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Fermented in open-top stainless steel fermentors
5-day cold soak, 20 days on skins
Fermentation with indigenous yeasts
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels
Aged 19-months in Taransaud French oak barrels, 64% new
