Winemaker Notes
Following a perfect growing season in which seasonal temperature spikes were at a minimum and very little rain fell after bud break in April and May, we harvested physiologically ripe fruit from our three Cabernet vineyard sites in the first week of October.
Each of the three vineyards—Folkendt, Home Ranch, and the Steven Kent Vineyard—showed uniform ripeness and great color, the final blend is comprised of 66% Home Ranch fruit and 34% Folkendt Vineyard.
The wine is inky purple, very opaque with a bright edge. Aromatically, this Cabernet exhibits aspects ranging from cassis, tobacco and sweet oak to bittersweet chocolate, mint, and freshly-turned earth. While heady now, time will only serve to open aromas up and frame the brazen force of youth.
In the mouth the 2001 Steven Kent Cabernet is highly tannic and profoundly rich. Flavors of dark fruits and oak greet one up-front and persist on a long finish. This wine will need five to seven years to begin to show all of its attributes and will age (if stored correctly) for decades.
Professional Ratings
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.
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.