Winemaker's Notes
This Scherrer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a portion that didn’t ‘make a fit’ into the two usual bottlings: Scherrer Vineyard and Alexander Valley. It confounds me that such a nice, complete wine can fight so strongly with its siblings but the message, although similar, was not harmonious when spoken at the same time as either one. It has the same cassis, red and black fruit of the other bottlings, and a little less mystery than the Scherrer Vineyard bottling. It is more immediately satisfying, while a bottle can be ‘nursed on’ for a week as it continues to ‘open up.’
When I have this alone, it is practically impossible to tell if it is the Alexander Valley bottling or the Sonoma County bottling. When side-by side, they show their modest differences. Why they don’t blend together is personally annoying and why I think that simply grading one’s barrels ‘A’ or ‘B’ when making blends misses the point of harmony and balance. You have to try them on for size as an ensemble to know if they belong together or should be worn separately. Anyone who loves our Cabs should explore this as a well-priced alternative for everyday drinking or for those parties where you don’t want to pour expensive wine but want really expensive tasting stuff.
