Woodward Canyon Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

This 1997 Columbia Valley "old vines" cabernet sauvignon is produced from grapes that were planted in the early 1970's. This red wine is a blend of 66.7% cabernet from Champoux vineyard, formerly known as Mercer Ranch, and 33.3% cabernet from Sagemoor vineyard, both situated above the Columbia River in southeastern Washington.

This wine was pumped over and punched down three to four times per day in small stainless steel tanks. Average brix was over 24 degrees with harvest running into the middle of October 1997. Fermentation ranged from nine to fourteen days. After pressing and racking, the various lots were moved to new French chateau barrels for aging and maturation. In early August 1999, this wine was racked from barrel and was bottled unfined and unfiltered later that same month.

This 1997 "old vines" cabernet sauvignon is a powerful successor to the 1995 "old vines". We did not produce an "old vines" in 1996 due to winter damage. The 1997 vintage gave grapes of full physiological maturity offering a wine of incredible structure, concentration, and richness of fruit! Flavors of ripe raspberry and blackberry married with spicy, toasted oak and vanilla explode in the mouth, and the color is deeply purple! This wine will benefit greatly from additional cellaring and, with proper cellaring, should last twenty years! Cheers!