Winemaker Notes
This full-bodied garnet wine exhibits aromas of dark cherry and mocha and dark fruit fl avors. Given that the majority of the wine is aged in barrels for at least six months, the wine finishes in a characteristically Cabernet style, with firm but still accessible tannins and a long, lingering finish.
Monthaven Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from select vineyards throughout California's diverse Central Coast, with a focus on fruit from Paso Robles and Monterey. The heat of Paso Robles delivers ripe fruit with depth, which is then balanced by the cooler-climate Monterey grapes that deliver a unique complexity to the wine. Monthaven fruit is fermented colder than average - with a long, cold soak at 50°, starting fermentation at 65° and ending before the wine hits 75° - to create a juicy wine with well-managed tannins.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.
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.