Sensorium Wines
2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Uvas Valley Vineyard
California: Santa Cruz County
Mission Briefing
Enliven the senses
One does not automatically think of Cabernet Sauvignon when thinking of the wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains. There aren’t very many spots that can support the sun-loving varietal. That thinking changes when it comes to wines made by winemaker Jeff Ritchey.
Jeff cut his winemaking teeth at Clos LaChance Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, and Wrath Wines. He now serves as consulting winemaker for a number of Monterey County and Santa Cruz County wineries, including San Saba, Picchetti Winery, the Los Gatos Wine Company and Fleming-Jenkins.
Today, he places the majority of his focus on his own Sensorium wines - and the payoff is big. And all yours. Today’s Sensorium Wines 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon is a boldly recommended stunner!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | A beautiful, inky burgundy through and through. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Layered aromas of blackberry, black cherry and mulberry leap from the glass, quickly trailed by summer briar patch, tobacco leaf, dark baking spices, toasted sandalwood, coffee bean, and just a touch of vanilla. |
| Taste: | Nicely developed and absolutely delicious, with fresh black cherry and dark blackberry laid overtop lightly roasted coffee bean, freshly tilled summer earth, vanilla bean, black peppercorn, mocha, and aged sandalwood cigar box. |
| Finish: | A classic California Cab - which is unusual, coming from the Santa Cruz Mountains! The wine is silken on entry, with fantastic structure and velvety tannins. You’ll be reaching for your second sip well before the flavors fade from your first. |
| Pairing: | Perfectly grilled New York Strip, served with roasted, rosemary seasoned fingerling potatoes. |
What the Winery Says
This impressive Cabernet Sauvignon was grown in a new vineyard on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains just west of Morgan Hill and is carefully tended by Bill Holt. He meticulously farms his vineyard to maximize quality. The 2009 growing season was nearly ideal in California allowing for a long hang time on the vine. This wine has layers of complex dark fruits, oak tones and balanced tannins. The intense aromas of blackberry, currant and cherry are framed with subtle notes of vanilla, toast, smoke and barrel spice and sit atop beautifully rich, mouth-filling tannins. This wine drinks well now, but will age for years to come.
- Winemaker
- Jeff Ritchey
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Vineyard
- Uvas Valley Vineyard
- Fruit Variety
- 99.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.5% Petit Verdot
- Cooperage
- 20 months in 70% new French and American Oak
- Production
- 240 Cases
- ABV
- 14.1%
About the Winery
Sensorium Wines specializes in small lot, hand crafted Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from select vineyards in Napa Valley, the Santa Cruz Mountains and Central Coast. Our focus is on making enjoyable wines that engage all the senses. In other words, wines that you can feel. We strive for a balance of all the flavor components that gives the taster an overall flavor or feeling of the wine as the first impression. With further tasting, the complexity of the components can be found within the wine.