This Single Vineyard Cabernet From Sonoma Drinks Well Above its Price!
Owned by husband and wife Eric and Ali (Smith) Story, Smith Story Wine Cellars launched in 2014 with a Kickstarter campaign raising $25,000 and funding their first year of grape purchases. Smith Story Wines are made with respect for the land, kindness for the grower and, love from the winemaker. Each vineyard they work with is owned by families, wanting to ensure their present and future success as grape growers. The wines show restraint, balance and integrity of the grape.
The wines begin with the land, places that are special to Eric and Ali throughout California and Europe. As the vineyard program grows, so will their true story. Their belief is to respect what the land offers, while shepherding in the cellar and ultimately delivering beautiful expressions of each varietal to supporters of Smith Story Wine Cellars.
Their winemaking philosophy is to utilize classic, old world techniques and let the grapes and sense of place where they are grown both speak for themselves.
The volcanic soil at Pickberry changes dramatically from one location to another in the vineyard. Some blocks have deep red soil, others are shallow grey clay, some are clay loam and one is so full of rocks it is nick-named the ”Rock Garden”. The result is that they have divided the vineyard into a number of small blocks with unique soil types and specific varieties of grapes. The blocks tend to ripen at different times, with harvest often spread out over 6 or 7 weeks.
Pickberry is exposed to cooling afternoon coastal wind. While the days can be warm, it is rarely as hot as Sonoma Valley, and nights are usually cool and often foggy. The result is late ripening fruit which benefits from a long growing season with the development of intense flavors and rich, deep colors. The hillside location protects the vineyard from most spring frosts and encourages summer cooling.
Tasting Notes:
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Pickberry Vineyard is the most convincing and complete of these wines from Smith Story. Deep and inky, yet very much medium in body, the 2016 has a lot to offer. Blueberry, menthol, licorice, lavender and spice meld in this supple, racy Cabernet Sauvignon. The balance of fruit, structure and freshness is terrific. This classically rendered Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon needs bottle age to truly blossom; give it a few years to be at its best.
A Stellar Deal on Single Vineyard Sonoma Mountain Cabernet!