Winemaker's Comments: 2003 Lincourt La Cuesta Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
The La Cuesta Vineyard has the right ingredients to really ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, in an appellation that is not widely known for the varietal. The vineyard's southeastern vista is ideal, allowing maximum exposure to the summer sun, while the soils are porous, making the vines really work to extract moisture. The clusters tend to be very small, with purple-black berries. There is not much need for green harvesting and thinning, for the vineyard is self-limiting in yield – seldom does it achieve more than two tons an acre. The results are a Cabernet Sauvignon that is very dark in color with lots of black fruit (black cherry, blackberry, cassis, plum) and cocoa aromatics. The wine's balanced structure is more kindred to that of Bordeaux than Napa, with both moderate alcohol and tannin, and good acidity. The wine is delicious now, but will continue to complex over the next five to ten years.
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