Since 1975 Alexander Valley Vineyards has been known for world class Cabernet Sauvignon. To celebrate our history with Cabernet Sauvignon we selected a single barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon for this special bottling. Fans across the country refer to us as “AVV”, so they will easily recognize this ultra-premium wine by the logo on the front of this silk screened bottle.
2017 was a vintage of contrasts. Our ample rainfall in January and February allayed any talk of drought, but winter rains were followed by a warm spring and many heat spikes throughout the summer until we began picking our first lots of Cabernet Sauvignon on September 7.
Winemaker Kevin Hall reserves the best lots of Cabernet Sauvignon for CYRUS and Alexander School Reserve wines, then selected his favorite barrel of 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon for this limited offering. Like the 2013 and 2014 vintages, this wine was produced from a gently sloping thirty-eight year old vineyard with gnarly, mature vines that produced loose clusters of pea sized grapes with one or two seeds. The wine aged for 60 months in a single new French oak tight grain barrel to slowly release the complexities and further develop the nuances.
This deep purple hued wine has intense aromatics of cassis, plum, black cherry, vanilla, blueberry and chocolate. There are ripe fruit flavors of red and black cherry, blueberry and red plum. Great acidity balances the red fruits and concentrated, long finish of this once in a lifetime selection.
The silk screened bottle is hand numbered and packed in a single wood box. This is a wine to lay down and savor on special occasions. It showcases the very best of AVV and our rich history with Cabernet Sauvignon.
PRIOR CABERNET SAUVIGNON ACCOLADES:
2017: CYRUS - 92 points - James Suckling
2017: ASR Cabernet Sauvignon - 92 points - Beverage Testing Institute
2017: Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - 90 points - Wine Advocate
