We make our Cabernet Sauvignon by harvesting always with an eye for balance and elegance. Our Cabernet Sauvignon always has a beautiful wild cherry core.  It shows off its lush red fruits and layers of complex characters underneath.  You will always find that bright fruit and lovely acidity inter-twined with silky tannins in Red Mare’s Cabernet Sauvignon.

We source our fruit from organic or highly sustainable vineyards. Once in the cellar, we use old-world methods, favoring technique over additives. Barrels are a crucial part of the winemaking process. We only use French oak, and we only use three coopers that we trust. Anne has traveled to their cooperages in France and feels confident in their consistency, sourcing, and quality. We use only 30% new oak each year, preferring our wines to express their sense of place, first and foremost.

Tasting Notes

The 2017 Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon is true to its historic flavor profile. Dark cherry and a bit of anise come through, mingling with sweet plum, sticky caramel, and warm jam on the stovetop. In the mouth, it opens up to a very generous fruit core, clean and warm. As in the past, this wine always seems to stratal the modern and the traditional so artfully. The texture of this wine is velvet. Soft and lovely, it has a generous mouth-watering acidity that carries the wine, lifting it and moving it to a long and supple finish.

Vintage Notes

Warm nighttime temperatures in March pushed an early bud break for most varieties, setting the stage for a difficult April when a hail storm, surprised the young shoots. The summer months were filled with brief but intense heat storms. The last, in early September, was not so little, reaching 106F in “cooler” regions. Thankfully, what remained of September yielded a welcome string of moderate days, with a thick marine layer lasting through mid-morning, perfect for the last weeks of ripening.

We had one-third of our red fruit harvested when, on October 8th, hot and dry offshore winds fueled the devastating fires that tore through many parts of Napa and Sonoma. All of the wines we produced in 2017 were harvested before the fires. This has resulted in a much smaller production of our 2017 vintage. 

Vineyard Notes

Alsace, a family-run vineyard in the heart of Rutherford appellation remains the heart of the blend. 2017 saw an increase in the Petite Sirah from our Calistoga Swickard vineyard which gave the blend depth and richness. New to the herd is a selection from the Stage Coach vineyard which was intended originally for our Alpha Mare blend, but mixed beautifully with our Napa Valley Cabernet. Still in the mix is a bit of Cabernet from our Volker Eisele Vineyard, a source that we treasure.