Paysan Cabernet Sauvignon" Old Vines" 2022

This is Cabernet off old vineyards, planted with old massale/clonal selections on old school rootstocks (St. George and AXR-1) made in a style reflective of the classic California cabernets of the 1970s. Fruit is sourced from 3 vineyards: the 60 yr old Brigantino Vineyard originally planted for Almaden, the 45yr old Wheeler Ranch (certified organic) growing in calcareous alluvial deposits over the San Benito Arroyo, and the 75 year old Tres Pinos Creek Vineyard in silty alluvial deposits. All vineyards experience warm days, cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars. Spontaneously fermented whole berry (grapes that are destemmed) with a very light crush in open top fermenters, allowing slower extraction of tannins into the must and lots of oxygen into the fermentation for polymerization of tannins. Pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months on lees in mostly neutral barrels with a couple of active oak barrels sprinkled in.