OVERVIEW Cabernet Sauvignon is the longtime flagship wine of Ancient Peaks, helping drive the emergence of Paso Robles as a world-class region for this classic Bordeaux variety. At our estate Margarita Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon achieves both ripeness and balance amid one of the region’s coolest, longest growing seasons, all while drawing natural complexity from the vineyard’s uniquely complex soils.

VINEYARD The 2020 vintage comes from six distinct Cabernet Sauvignon blocks at Margarita Vineyard. Blocks 11, 13, 14 and 15 all unfold along highly calcareous soils composed of ancient sea bed, which imparts a sense of stony minerality to the fruit. The northeast-facing Block 11 is marked by notes of red fruits and dried herbs, while blocks 13, 14 and 15 offer blue fruit flavors with impressive density gained from southwesterly sun exposure. Blocks 49 and 50 are rooted in a combination of sea bed and shale soils, yielding a classic Cabernet profile with a mixture of red and black fruits. The individual qualities of these blocks combine to bring dimension and nuance to the final blend. Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles region, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the new Santa Margarita Ranch AVA. The mountain peaks act as a gateway for cool marine air, resulting in an extended growing season that yields fruit with uncommon depth and structure. The peaks are also testaments to the tectonic forces that created Margarita Vineyard’s rare diversity of soils, ultimately fostering natural complexity in our wines. 

WINEMAKING The 2020 growing season was marked by a mild spring and summer, punctuated by two late-summer heat waves that accelerated the pace of ripening into harvest. After gentle destemming, the must was cold soaked for 48 hours prior to fermentation for a smooth extraction of color and flavor. After fermentation, the wine was racked to an equal combination of French and American oak barrels, where it aged for 16 months prior to blending and bottling. An inclusion of Petit Verdot from Margarita Vineyard imparted added structure, while a contribution of Malbec brought juiciness to the texture. Finally, dashes of Petite Sirah and Syrah brought enhanced color and weight to the final blend.  

TASTING NOTES The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with heady aromas of black raspberry, cherry, sage and tobacco leaf. A juicy, mouth filling texture reveals seamless layers of currant, cherry, blueberry, dark plum and black olive with trailing hints of mocha, mineral and eucalyptus. Suggestions of vanilla bean join soft tannins on a smooth, rounded finish.

CUISINE PAIRING Savor the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon with richly textured dishes such as beef tenderloin, sage-rubbed lamb chops, grilled portobello mushroom, and lamb Bolognese with parmesan and herbs.

VINEYARD: Margarita Vineyard

VARIETAL COMPOSITION: Cabernet Sauvignon 78% Petit Verdot 7% Malbec 6% Petite Sirah 6% Syrah 3% SOIL TYPE: Ancient Sea Bed Rocky Alluvium Shale

HARVEST DATES: October 9 through November 2

AGING REGIMEN: 16 months in French and American oak barrels (20% new) 

Alcohol: 13.9% TA: .62 pH: 3.76

Currently, The Good Pour offers in-store and curbside pickup for online orders at The Good Pour Longwood. We are working to launch shipping services for select states, so stay tuned!