Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Steven Kent Cabernet Sauvignon features the signature herbal, cassis, and spice aromas typical of the Cab-based wines we make from our home appellation. The fruit characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Livermore Valley are very specific to this area, and they offer the foundation for delicious, long-lived wines. Highlighted by a depth of dark, rich fruit that extends from the nose through the mid-palate, this wine finely balances the subtle organoleptic and structural elements gained from the finest French oak barrels to create a long, seamless, elegant wine. With great entry heft which is carried to a long finish by beautiful acidity, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon – Livermore Valley showcases a vision for Cabernet Sauvignon that is in keeping with the world-class potential of the Livermore Valley.
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.
A warm sub-appellation of the greater San Francisco Bay AVA (American Viticultural Area), Livermore Valley mainly hides behind the shielding effects of the bay’s eastern hills. However, late afternoon winds cool down summer nights as daytime heat rises from the Central Valley in the east, pulling the cold, foggy, bay air inland. This cooler evening air permeates the Livermore Valley's foothills, making this an ideal environment for the development of phenolic ripeness and concentration in its wine grapes.
The Livermore Valley is one of California's oldest wine regions and has played a crucial role in shaping California's wine industry. Spanish missionaries planted the first wine grapes in the Livermore Valley in the 1760s. Then in the mid 1800s, a man named Robert Livermore planted the area’s first commercial vineyards. Winemaker pioneer C. H. Wente arrived a few years later; today the Wente Chardonnay clone is the source of a majority of California Chardonnay. Furthermore, James Concannon and the Wetmore brothers recognized the virtues of the area’s Bordeaux-like gravel soils and dedicated themselves to making high quality wine from Bordeaux varieties. Today the area is also known for high quality Petite Sirah.