Alpha Mare is the leader of the herd.  This wine is Anne’s carte blanche and represents the best of her craft and experience in winemaking.  Her heart and soul are in this work. The Cabernet Sauvignon base for our Alpha Mare Red hails from the Blossom Creek Vineyard in the Calistoga Appellation. With a sloping aspect providing consistent airflow and a slight northern exposure, this site is protected from extreme heat and produces exceptional quality grapes. 

Barrel fermentation in small 225L oak barrels results in slower, cooler fermentation. The shape and size of the barrel produce a submerged cap. Gentle and consistent, this method of extraction gives mouth-filling, lush, and juicy tannin structure. The use of native yeast adds to the complexity, and a co-fermentation of Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, Malbec, and sometimes a splash of Petite Syrah creates a round, vibrant, and pleasing wine with intense color and depth every year

Tasting Notes:

This wine opens with a generous full and complex nose constructed of vanilla, cedar, graphite, and black currant.  Warm and comforting aromas of shortbread, warm blackberry pie, and flint keep one coming back to this wine again and again.  In the mouth, the wine has lots of generosity but also lots of tension.  Fine-grained tannins mingle with a firm acidity to lift the wine on the palate and give it a sense of energy.  The tannins settle on the finish and lead the wine to a pleasing bloom of rich dark fruit.

For printable technical, tasting, vintage, vineyard, and production notes visit our Winemaker Notes page.

For printable Accolade Sheets, Brand Assets, and recent press, visit our Trade page.