2012 Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Monte Rosso Vineyard rolls across steep, rugged terrain in the majestic Mayacamas Mountains nearly 1,300 feet above the Sonoma Valley. Owned by the Louis M. Martini Winery since 1938, it is named for its rich, red volcanic soils and has produced award-winning wines for three generations. The vineyard’s mix of high altitude, position above the fog line, low-yielding vines and ideal western exposure produces wines with a unique sense of terroir. Monte Rosso is one of California’s most prized locations for wine grapes. Select Cabernet Sauvignon blocks were carefully hand harvested and hand sorted, then gravity fed into small, open top fermenters for cold soak of up to five days. After fermentation, the wine was racked by gravity into oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. The blocks were aged separately for months before the final blend was assembled and sent back to barrel for more aging. The wine was barrel aged for 26 months in a combination of French oak barrels, 75% new, and American oak barrels, 19% new.