2009 Cabernet Sauvignon 750

Yet another stellar vintage in a string of odd-year dandies. This primary wine of our production offers a merge of red and black fruits, delicate spiciness from carefully selected American oak barrels, and deep brooding opaque color. A meaty entry gives way to a generous back palate of supple but not shy tannins, a graceful flow across the palate, and a fine, debonaire finish. You’ll think you outkicked the coverage on this fine bottle.

Kitsap Sun 1/11/2012: What we’re drinking: Justin Winery Paso Robles 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon "Here’s a delicious Cabernet brimming with ripe, juicy complex flavors of currant, blackberry and spice. For a young Cab, it unfolds into a crisp yet polished mouthfeel with a smooth finish."

Dale Robertson, Wine Writer for The Houston Chronicle, gave the Cabernet Sauvignon an overall Score of 19 (9 for quality, 10 for value). The Houston Chronicle blind tasters gave it a unanimous recommendation with a high score of 9.4. "Light oak ... big, rich cherry flavors."

The 2009 growing season began with an early bud break (early March) due to the extremely warm spring temperatures. An early April frost rolled into the Paso Robles area but our vineyards were unaffected due to their hillside stature. A warm consistent summer segued into moderate early fall. The balanced weather allowed us to pick on flavor profiles without any concerns of excessive heat or cooler temperatures. Our red wine sources and home vineyard have shown incredible density and power of varietal expression, despite a ferocious rainstorm that dropped over 9 inches of rain on October 14, when over 80% of the grapes were already in tank or barrel. This delayed the completion of harvest, but the relentless vines shrugged off the water and retained great concentration and flavor. The style of the vintage will be flashy and intense.