The Mcnab 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
This single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has a brilliant, deep red hue and opens with an appealing chorus of black currant, fig and dark chocolate aromas. Firm though fine tannins frame a generous mid-palate that leads to flavors of cassis, toast, portobello and subtle minerality. Suggestions of tobacco and anise harmonize on a lingering finish.
McNab Ranch is the agricultural heart of Bonterra Biodynamics. Named for McNab Creek, a tributary of the Russian River and steelhead spawning ground, this 371-acre property was transformed from a sheep farm to a thriving vineyard ecosystem, and certified biodynamic since 1996. The McNab single-vineyard bottling assembles the best reds from this historic site into a Cabernet Sauvignon-driven blend.
For the 2020 vintage, winter was relatively dry, only bringing about half the amount of rain of an average season. Spring did experience more frost days than a typical season, but with a mild to moderate overall temperatures, bud break and flowering occurred about a week earlier than 2019. The yields of a lot of varietals were lower than normal yields. August and September were warm, bringing a few heat spikes into the region which sped up harvest by a couple of weeks from the average harvest season. Smaller than normal berry size resulted in increased phenolic content and concentration of flavors.
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Varietal Composition | Cabernet Sauvignon 80%
Petite Sirah 20% |
| Appellation | Mendocino County |
| Vineyard | Mcnab Ranch Vineyard |
| PH | 3.65 |
| Alcohol | 14.20% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Cases Produced | 2000 |
The fruit for this blend was harvested by hand at optimal ripeness over several weeks. Select vineyard blocks and varieties were fermented separately in stainless steel tanks for 10 to 14 days, with only the finest lots selected for this cuvée. The wine aged for 14 months in 25% percent new French oak barrels with a medium toast, before the final blend was assembled.
