Beaulieu Vineyard Rutherford, Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

We cold soaked the destemmed grapes for two to three days for gentle flavor extraction, which develops the elegant, layered fruit expression that is inherent in Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. During the eight- to twelve-day fermentation, we pumped over the cap to incorporate the flavor-rich skins into the juice. To balance the bold fruit expression with toasty oak character, we chose more than half new oak for barrel aging and added Petit Verdot, Petit Sirah and Merlot to enhance the complex flavor profile.