Swanson Vineyards "Face" Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Napa Valley

Tasting Notes: Deep purple color, opaque in glass. Expressive nose of crushed espresso bean, mocha, and cassis. On the palate dark fruits, blackberry and plum intermingle with subtle dried thyme and blueberry. Secondary characters have started to show through with bottle age, these include cedar and cigar box, freshly cured tobacco leaf. The tannins are bold, which when set into the context of the wines rich flavor and texture provide a delicious balance to the balanced acidity. With a long, evolving finish this wine is perfect for pairing with food or enjoying by itself. Drinking well now but will benefit from careful cellaring over the next twenty years.

Aging Regime: 18 months in French oak, 45% new, 55% used once 

From The Winery: Every year the make up of our sought-after “Face” Cabernet Sauvignon differs depending on the vineyards we think are the highest performing of the vintage. There was one vineyard that really shone, located on the boundary between Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs. Made up of Bale and Clay loams – allowing deep root penetration and great drainage this vineyard produced a wine of unique power and balance, generous aromatics and dark color.

The morning fog plays a large influence on this particular vineyard, resulting in a high diurnal variation in temperatures that result in a slow and steady ripening period required to produce intensity and flavor in the grapes from this one special site.

Winemaking: Hand-picked in the early morning, the grapes were delivered to the winery where they were cluster sorted, de-stemmed, and then berry sorted. The must was pumped to tank and cooled to achieve a temperature where we could hold the grape must without fermentation taking place. We held it
there for four days, after which the cooling was turned off and the must was allowed to warm naturally and inoculated with specific yeast. The fermentation was carried out over a ten-day period at relatively high temperatures. Once primary fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed off the skins and allowed to go through natural malolactic fermentation in barrel. The barrels were racked twice during the 18 months of aging before bottling.