Cakebread Cellars

Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.

Forest berries and dried herbs open with an earthy, lightly smoky edge. The palate is firmly structured, carrying blackcurrant and crushed blackberry beneath measured oak and fine-grained tannins. Savoury detail keeps the dark fruit composed through the persistent finish. Decant before serving with roast beef, lamb or aged hard cheese.