Forefathers 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, California, United States

Philosophy

Forefathers Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a single vineyard on an eastern slope in the heart of the Alexander Valley. The vineyard is situated on a knoll east of the town of Geyserville and is comprised of a gravely loam soil which allows for good control of irrigation, great exposure of the clusters and long hang time.

The Cabernet Sauvignon by Forefathers is one of three single vineyard wines produced by Goldschmidt Vineyards. The Forefathers' wines include a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand and a Shiraz from McLaren Vale in Australia. "Forefathers" means "the best appellation, or the forefather appellation, for that variety in the New World".

Winemaking

Forefathers' wines have structure, intensity and complexity. Only ripe grapes with excellent maturity and well-developed flavors are selected. Ripeness means very round supple tannins, which result in an elegant entry, and powerful, rich finish. The fruit was hand harvested and macerated for 3 weeks. We only use the first juice from the tank for barrel aging. We barrel aged the wine for 18 months during which time the wine was gravity racked four times.

Characteristics

The 2002 harvest was a classic Northern California vintage, it offers ripe, rich, exuberant, full throttle, intensely flavored wines. The wine is voluptuous, showing soft berry fruit in the front of the palate. The middle palate has flesh, weight and richness, resulting in power. The tannins are balanced, supple and ripe, leading to a complex wine with many layers; velvety, silky, and seamless from front to back of the mouth.

Winemaker Comments

"The site is unique in that it allows for a very long hang time between flowering and harvest. It allows the vine to maximize flavor and tannin development leading to a very rich and yet supple wine. Great vineyards are naturally balanced, produce smaller than average berries and produce vines that expose the cluster to the sun correctly in each vintage. 2002 was characterized by a temperate spring and summer, followed by a nice warm fall harvest. In combination with a small crop, there was an early maturing of tannins. Very similar to 1996 in flavor profile, this is a very elegant Cabernet Sauvignon vintage with a great deal of underlying power." -- Nick Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt Vineyard | Forefathers

Goldschmidt Vineyards | P.O. Box 1639, Healdsburg, CA 95448 USA | T: 707.433.2061 | F: 707.433.3426
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