Moniker Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Front Bottle Shot
Moniker Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Front Bottle Shot Moniker Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

Moniker Cabernet Sauvignon is a structured wine showcasing the best of Mendocino’s bench-land vineyards. The gravel loam rich soils of these vineyards force the typically vigorous Cabernet vines to form small berries which in turn create dark and densely flavored wines. From maceration to fermentation, Moniker worked to preserve the wine’s tannic backbone: coldsoaking the grapes for two days, pumping over the cap,and briefly leaving some of the lots on the skins for greater extraction. They chose a Languedoc yeast strain prized for delivering optimum fore-mouth volume while retaining varietally correct flavors of currant, black olive and tobacco.

Though this wine is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon they did blend in 1% of Petit Verdot for power. Aged for 22 months in 36% new American oak for bold vanilla and spice character that adds to the savory and fruit forward nature of this wine.

Professional Ratings

  • 90
    This full-bodied wine smells nicely oaky, like cedar and new leather, while the flavors bring on ripe plum and black cherry tones. Especially well-integrated tannins give support on the palate without being drying, resulting in a broad, lush mouthfeel.
Moniker

Moniker

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A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.

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Mendocino

California

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A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.

SWS475332_2015 Item# 228231