2019 III Nefer
History says that III NFR is for the gods and the pharaohs only. However, we made this just for you. 100% Cab. 100% New French Oak. 100% time to sit back and enjoy.
2019 Obelisco Estate III Nefer Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: Red Mountain
Vineyards: 100% Obelisco Estate
Barrels: 100% new oak; 100% French
Tasting Notes: Deep, dark purple, almost black color. The first nose on this wine is so rich with dark fruit, it immediately relaxes you into images of dark cherry cola, blackberries and your favorite childhood boysenberry jam. The nose releases subtle spices like vanilla, cinnamon and rosemary too. On the palate this wine washes your mouth with those same dark fruits with enough dryness from the toasted oak to make your mouth scream for more. The wine is full, and rich and the fruit and spice trade spaces as they dance across your taste buds The mouth feel is all encompassing while your taste buds try to figure out why dark fruits feel like butter. The tannins and fruit are extremely balanced. It is a brooding and powerful example of Red Mountain Cabernet.
Cellaring: Because it is made from 50% Red Mountain Cabernet heavy press wine this wine should age well for the next 10-12 years. Because it is Obelisco fruit, it is surprisingly soft and inviting now for 100% press wine. This wine can age longer, but with the density of the vineyard, 95% of the aging benefit is achieved in less than 10 years so why wait?
Production: All the fruit for this wine is from Obelisco Vineyard. The high density planting yields smaller berries, which contribute to the concentrated flavors. This is 100% press wine fraction, which explains the concentration, depth, dark color and more structured tannins. Combine this with 20 months in 100% new French Oak and you get a wine that invitingly combines great fruit and oak.
Harvest notes: 2019 was another hot year in the vineyard, but the early set of the vines led to an easy and good yield. Rather than worrying about yield like some years, we actually, trimmed back some of the fruit on the vineyard to make sure concentrations were good. The sugars and flavors seemed to develop at an even rate making the picking decisions easier for our team. There was enough coolness in the evenings of the Fall to give us some extra hang time without the chemistry changing too much.
