Geyser Peak Winery
2007 Kuimelis Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Kuimelis Vineyard
California: Alexander Valley
Mission Briefing
Codename:1100th Heaven
96 Point Vintage Alert: Today’s superb Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the best vintage on record for more than a decade. The 2007 vintage has earned numerous awards and accolades, including a stellar 96 points from Robert Parker.
Today we are very proud to present you with a tasty exclusive. We are the the only online wine merchant to be showcasing the stunning 2007 Geyser Peak Block Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Kuimelis Vineyard, a wine that is only available at the winery itself.
This exclusive delight is everything that we’ve come to expect from Geyser Peak’s higher end Block Collections wines - and from the superb Kuimelis Vineyard. We’ve shown the winery and the vineyard, in the past, but today’s wine is a terrific mashup of the two.
This wine is bold, extracted, delicious and wonderfully balanced. Complex on the nose and on the palate, and with a finish that goes on forever, this wine is built to satisfy.
Decant for optimal results. Enjoy now or lay a few bottles down for several more years.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep purple hues with a dark heart. At the rim of the wine, pretty ruby hues catch the light. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Black cherry tobacco, dark wild berry jam, blackberry, fresh tobacco leaf, blackberry pie filling, brioche, wild fennel, and a hint of dried mushroom and Earl Grey tea. |
| Taste: | Dark black fruit and subtle dried herbs present up front. Dark black cherry, blackberry compote, dried black olive, dark plum, subtle oak and a hint of brown spice follow. |
| Finish: | Extra long and loaded with black fruit, earth and spice. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this bold, rich wine with a grilled New York steak or a fatty prime rib. |
What the Winery Says
This wine is truly a “block” selection, in that, in 2006, we divided Kuimelis Vineyard into five distinct parcels of vines, based on sun exposure, slope and elevation, and then selected the very best of these to make this wine. Because the vineyard wraps around a mountain, sun exposures vary from Northern to Northwestern, as the terraced vines follow the topographic contours of the site. In addition, grapes at its higher elevations are exposed to colder night temperatures, which slows their ripening, preserves natural acidity and helps develop complexity and full flavor expression in the grapes. Thus, there are radically different ripening conditions in different areas of the vineyard, which necessitates keeping a close eye on each row and section of vines not just at harvest, but throughout the growing season.
- Winemaker
- Ondine Chattan
- Appellation
- Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
- Vineyard Designation
- Kuimelis Vineyard
- Varietal Composition
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cooperage
- 18 months in 65% French, 35% American oak barrels.
- ABV
- 13.65%
About the Winery
One of California’s oldest and most renowned wineries, Geyser Peak Winery was founded in 1880 by Augustus Quitzow, a pioneer in Alexander Valley winemaking, Geyser Peak has flourished as an award-winning winery for more than 130 years. Quitzow chose the original winery site in Geyserville for its vantage point of the famed Geysers Geothermal area. The white steam that billowed from the geysers along the mountain slopes provided the winery with a spectacular ‘view of the clouds’.
Today, Geyser Peak pays fond tribute to its past roots in Alexander Valley as it sets forth on a new path into the Dry Creek Valley Appellation where the winery has recently relocated. Although the address is new, the commitment to the highest quality artisan winemaking is not. Geyser Peak will continue to “Reach For Peak” for many years to come.
Winemaker Ondine Chattan
Ondine Chattan has completed more than 15 harvests with Geyser Peak Winery. Under her leadership, the winemaking team has honed and refined the now distinctive style of our wines, introducing innovative production techniques, and enthusiastically promoting the Alexander Valley and our broad portfolio of award-winning wines.
A native of Marin County, Ondine spent a great deal of time in Sonoma Wine Country during her childhood, where she fell in love with the wine industry. This passion in her soul has never wavered and grew even stronger while obtaining an undergraduate degree in Viticulture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master’s Degree in Enology from Fresno State University.
After college, her love of Zinfandel and Rhone varietals led her to positions at Cline Cellars in the Sonoma Valley and Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino before settling down to her ‘winemaking home’ in the Alexander Valley. Joining Geyser Peak was a dream come true for Ondine, with its diversity of varietals, vineyards and wine styles inspiring her creativity and fueling her passion for producing exciting, accessible, unique wines.