2015 Cabernet Sauvignon

Jean-François Pellet, who is a partner in both the Pepper Bridge and Amavi ventures and makes both sets of wines, was more excited about his 2015 reds than the ‘14s he showed me last year. “In 2015, things cooled off at veraison but not in 2014, which generally produced a hotter and more fruit-centric style of wine. In 2014 we were ready to harvest in August but the heat shut down the vines and delayed us for two weeks.” Pellet admitted having to water back some of his wines in 2015 (but not in ’16 or ’17) but refuses to use a machine to remove alcohol.

I also tasted a 2017 white from each label. Pellet described ‘17 as “a mild year, uneventful except for a powerful frost (minus-13 degrees F.) on January 13. Luckily, the team has buried the canes each winter at Pepper Bridge since 2004, which Pellet said has saved them from winter freeze every four or five years. Incidentally, Pellet made his 2015 Amavi Syrah with about 25% whole clusters but noted that “we have to be careful about whole clusters. At the relatively low price we charge for this wine, we can’t geek people out.”