VASO Cellars’ flagship red wine brings together grapes from sustainably farmed vineyards that prioritize organic, biodynamic, and fish-friendly practices. We ferment using natural yeasts and a variety of fermentation vessels to encourage each lot to reach its full potential. Blending all of these unique elements together, we create a vibrant and complex wine with supple tannins and a perfect balance of rich fruit, minerality and freshness. Thanks to its dynamic energy and harmonious structure, this wine will age well for a decade or more.

The 2021 season started off with a dry, cold winter season. We experience a return to drought conditions with only a quarter of the normal winter season rain. The cool spring pushed budbreak into the middle of April. Warm sunny weather finally arrived at the end of April and continued into May allowing the vine growth to steadily progress. The dry conditions gave us balanced vines by limiting shoot growth and setting a small crop. The rest of the growing season gave us perfect weather with only a few days over 100 degrees F. Ripening progressed steadily and uniformly. The small crop, dry weather, and abundant sunny days set things up for an early start to harvest. The dry, low yielding vintage produced wines with great intensity of flavor, energy, and balanced tannins. A stunning vintage.

The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest was early and completed over four weeks; from the first week of September through the first week in October. The cooler than average nights kept acidity high. Moderate sunny days, and a small crop, allowed ripening to progress at a steady pace. Our first pick was at our warmest vineyard site on September 7th. About a week later we harvested the Merlot and Malbec from our Howell Mountain vineyard. The rest of the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked in an orderly but un-hurried fashion through the end of the first week in October. This early finish to the harvest was fortunate as the end of October was the wettest recorded. The grape berries were small, with moderately thick skins, and bright acidity.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were hand harvested and sorted before destemming. After, we used a combination of optical and hand sorting of the berries before gravity filling the fermentation tanks. We used various fermentation vessels including oak upright, concrete, and stainless-steel tanks, as well as single barrel fermentations. After undergoing natural fermentation, the free run juice is drained directly off skins to barrel for native malolactic fermentation and aging until blending in early Spring. After blending and racking the wines age undisturbed until bottling.

Heady aromatics of Bing cherry, fresh flowers, plum fruit, and baking spices. Energetic & precise with minerality, red currant and bright red and blue fruit acidity, which fill the mouth. Lengthy and elegant, soft enveloping texture.