2022 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Mendocino
History
The Husch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon gives the winemaking team an opportunity to showcase the year’s standout lots in their own exclusive blend. We carefully select our favorite barrels from our favorite lots, using an “only the best” philosophy. In some years, the vintage might not meet our highest expectation, and we simply skip bottling a Reserve. In the years that meet our high bar, you can always expect a wine with intense fruit flavors, a rich palate, and plenty of structure for cellaring.
Winemaking
The 2022 roller coaster of a growing season kicked off with a heavy dose of frost keeping vineyard teams on their toes protecting against young bud damage. Perfect late spring and early summer weather followed, ensuring healthy canopies and excellent ripening. An unprecedented heat wave enveloped the Ukiah Valley around Labor day causing accelerated ripening on white varietals but slowing down ripening on Cabernet Sauvignon and other late varietals as the vines shut down for a couple weeks. Careful heat protection via overhead and a dutiful irrigation regiment got us through. Back on track late in the season, the harvest yielded concentrated fruit flavors, ripe integrated tannins and balanced acidity. The fruit was fermented in small batches, then pressed and barreled.
Tasting Notes
Our 2022 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegantly approachable wine highlighting ripe black currant, blackberry and blueberry with overtones of vanilla bean and mocha tangled with a hint of cigar box. The palate shines on with velvet laced tannin over refined acidity. It is no surprise that this wine pairs remarkably well with grilled Santa Maria Tri Tip, Osso Buco, lamb chops or a rich dark chocolate cake.
Technical
Harvest Date: Oct 12 - 25, 2022
Sugar at Harvest: 23 - 26.8° Brix
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.7
Total acid: 6.00 g/L
Residual sugar: 0%
Fermentation: Tanks and ¾-ton fermenters
Maturation: 29 months in French oak barrels
Release Date: Oct, 2026
Cellaring: 10+ years with careful aging