Winemaker Notes
A cool Spring meantbud break was delayed, which resulted in an even flowering after the usualSpring winds. At Star Lane Vineyard, we're typically cooler than most HappyCanyon estates due to our elevation and aspect, so the cooler vintage meant anice ripening which produced depth of color and flavor and allowed us to bump up the core Cabernet Sauvignon.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Star Lane Vineyard is a very pretty and expressive Happy Canyon Cabernet. Silky and perfumed, the 2019 offers gorgeous floral intensity to play off a core of dark red-fleshed fruit. This medium-body, savory Cabernet checks all the right boxes. It is quite impressive in this tasting.
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.
On the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, the rolling hills of the tiny Happy Canyon AVA produce top quality reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and whites from Sauvignon blanc. The region’s low-nutrient soil grows smaller vines and in turn, higher quality wine grapes.