The 2012 harvest could be described as “textbook”, or simply “fantastic”. Growing conditions throughout the year produced an abundant crop of mature grapes with balanced flavors and good structure. An abundance of California coastal weather– fog in the morning, and warm sunshine in the afternoon– often sending temperatures into the mid 90s and then quickly cooling off after sunset. The daily cyclical temperature shift continued into September, ripening fruit evenly and slowly. Fruit quality was exceptional.

Located on a north-facing ridge in Sonoma County’s Knights Valley AVA, at elevations ranging from 300 to 1300 feet, is the Totem Ridge Vineyard. Most vines were planted in 1991 under the guidance of the renowned Paul VanderSchalie, whose work as a viticulturist in Knights Valley spanned thirty years and included his influence on nearby Peter Michael Winery. The soil is a rich, rocky volcanic loam that gives the distinctive intensity to Cabernet from this AVA.

After picking, the fruit was thoroughly hand sorted. We crushed 50% of the grapes to release their tannins and add structure, while the remaining grapes were left whole to bolster the wine’s aromatics. All fruit was gravity fed into open top fermenters to cold soak and ferment. We fermented at 85? for color extraction and phenolic structure, then pressed off to barrel to finish fermentation, helping to integrate the oak while maintaining the aromatic profile.