Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Primal Cut Cabernet Sauvignon opens with rich and enticing aromas of dried strawberry and blackberry mixed with black tea and tobacco. Jammy flavors of Bing cherry, mulberry and plum are balanced by notes of black currant and a touch of red licorice. This is a structured and full-bodied wine with well-integrated tannins and a long, lingering finish.
Vineyards
The 2016 Primal Cut Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several vineyards throughout the North Coast, primarily Lake County and Napa Valley. The warm climate of Lake County provides beautiful fruit forward aromatics, while the Napa Valley fruit provides the backbone and structure – great acid and tannin, which makes this the perfect wine to pair with steak.
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.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.