2018 Sierra Bonita Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometime around 2012 or 2013, we snuck away from a wine festival booth and tasted Sierra Bonita Vineyard’s Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time. We were blown away – thinking it might have been some of the best AZ Cab we had tasted up to that point and quite possibly beyond. Since then, we’d been curious about this little vineyard; one of only a few situated north of Willcox in Graham County. Fast forward a few years, and here we are with our first chance to work with this fruit. The Smith family has recently been pulled away from their winemaking efforts by other life forces and we were happy to jump in and help take some of their fruit off of their hands. This Cab Sauv has more intense notes of green spice and a brighter, more focused fruit than some of its counterparts from warmer areas in Cochise County. We also fermented it approximately 40% whole-cluster to add tannin, weight to the palate and additional notes of spice. Only three barrels produced.