2020 Cabernet Pfeffer, The Wild One

VINEYARD: The Enz Vineyard is located in the Lime Kiln AVA and was originally planted in the late 1800s along the San Andreas fault, making it among the oldest in the state. The vineyard is dry-farmed and organic.

WINEMAKING: One-third of the grapes were left whole cluster to lend a semi-carbonic element to the wine and soften the often aggressive tannins of this variety. We were very careful with the cap management because we did not want to over extract the wine. It was punched down twice a day simply by wetting the cap with our hands for the first half of the fermentation leading into one punchdown a day as it got closer to dryness. The wine was then pressed into neutral French Oak and aged for 7 months. We produced 8 barrels.

TASTING NOTES: Wild Raspberry. Black Pepper. Violet.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?: The Wild One is the original outlaw biker film, featuring Marlon Brando in his iconic leather jacket and cap alongside fellow members of The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The gang descends on the town of Hollister— just a few miles from where our Cab Pfeffer is grown—for a round of mid-50s rabble-rousing. It really puts things in perspective when you learn that this vineyard was originally planted nearly 50 years before this movie was made.