Representing the best of California's broadly placed red varietalgrowing regions, this Cabernet blend is predominantly CabernetSauvignon, with touches of Merlot to round out the middle andsoften tannins, and Syrah and Carignane to add complexity andlayers of flavor. At harvest grapes are crushed directly to stainlessfermenters, then cold-soaked to gain a rich, garnet color. After aslow fermentation with twice-daily pump-overs the Cabernet isevaluated to gain optimal flavor and color prior to undergoingmalolactic fermentation. Following secondary fermentation thewine was moved to small oak barrels, with one quarter new oaktoasted medium/medium plus, one quarter in once-used barrels,and much of the remainder aged in neutral barrels.