Gandona Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
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Robert
Parker -
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Spectator
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More than our flagship Cabernet, it is the spirit of the estate personified. Named in memory of my grandfather, Gandona, which translates to "humble man," Gandona always consists of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest and steepest blocks on the property, which consistently articulate the most profound and striking expression of our terrior, both emphatic and eloquent, like Gandona.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Living up to the potential predicted last year, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is fabulous. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 80% new French oak, there are 500 cases of this terrific wine. With its inky purple color, a glorious nose of blackberry and blueberry liqueur, full-bodied mouthfeel, dense, pure notes interwoven with camphor, charcoal embers and spring flowers, this is stunning stuff and a great example of the Estate’s potential. Drink now-2025+.
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Wine Spectator
Smooth-textured, with supple tannins woven into the granite and graphite flavors, balanced by dried dark berry and light cedary oak. Maintains a graceful profile throughout, ending elegant and graceful. Drink now through 2026.
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James
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Robert
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Reclaimed wood and other repurposed materials were used in several areas of the winery, like the winery’s interior oak doors made from trees harvested from the vintner's former home in Connecticut. The boulders and rocks excavated from the cave were used to create the winery’s exterior wall, and the bathroom sink was chiseled from a large boulder excavated from deep inside the hill. The property’s old redwood water storage tank was dismantled and transformed into beautiful doors for the winery and cave.
Grapes arrive to the winery immediately after picking to be vinified in small lots. The winemaking team first hand-sorts individual clusters, selecting the finest for crushing and de-stemming. Then, individual berries are sorted, removing those with imperfections. The remaining grapes are transferred to concrete tanks for fermentation by a bin/gravity flow process. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is pressed and placed in French oak barrels for aging in Gandona Estate’s cave.