We make our Cabernet Sauvignon by harvesting with an eye for balance and elegance. Our Cabernet Sauvignon always has a beautiful wild cherry core. It shows off its lush red fruits and layers of complex characters underneath. You will always find that bright fruit and lovely acidity intertwined with silky tannins in Red Mare’s Cabernet Sauvignon.

We source our fruit from organic or highly sustainable vineyards. Once in the cellar, we use old-world methods, favoring technique over additives. Barrels are a crucial part of the winemaking process. We only use French oak, and we only use three coopers that we trust. Anne has traveled to their cooperages in France and is confident in their consistency, sourcing, and quality. We use only 30% new oak each year, preferring our wines to express their sense of place, first and foremost.

Tasting Notes

The 2018 Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon opens with luxuriously ripe black currant. Hints of cedar, clove, and suggestions of bay leaf support and broaden the fruit foundation. While sitting in the glass the fruit characters freshen to a blend of sweet dark cherry and plum. The nose continues toward complexity with warm licorice and carnation flowers. In the mouth this wine is seamless. The tannins are supple and velvety, generous but measured. The arch is definite and the wine finishes cleanly in the mouth.

Vintage Notes

2018 was a dreamy vintage. Steady rains through the winter gave the soil time to absorb the nourishing moisture. Spring temperatures were right on target and reliable during bud break and bloom, paving the way for a larger-than-average yield. Summer temperatures peaked in July, with only one day exceeding 100F.  Our ripening months, August and September, cooled off a bit, creating a gentle, even ripening track, free of heat storms. October remained cool but stayed above the ’70s during the day, allowing for a near-perfect end-of-season temperature profile.

Vineyard Notes

This wine is Cabernet Sauvignon through and through. The historic Volker Eisele Vineyard from Chiles Valley is the main source, with grapes from the Oak Knoll Rachofsky Vineyard making up the balance. This, and our Oaville Bonnie's Vineyard source usually go into our Alph Mare Red, but we've decided to put all our best eggs in one basket this year and make Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon the absolute best it can be. For more details see our downloadable tasting notes.