2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Correlation

Vineyard 7 & 8 is in the midst of what looks like a pretty significant transition. Winemaker Martha McClellan took over with the 2014 harvest, so it is too soon to know exactly where this small, family-run estate is headed. Where it has been is obvious. For the last few years, the wines have been solid but not exciting nor particularly expressive of site. Big, oaky, chocolatey Cabernets can basically be made anywhere. But with its privileged position atop Spring Mountain, Vineyard 7 & 8 appears to have more potential than that. We will see. For now, McClellan has mixed up the selection of coopers, lowered toast levels and sought gentler extractions. The 2012s and 2013s were both made by Luc Morlet, while McClellan and proprietor Wes Steffens put together the final blends and bottled the wines, although by the time McClellan arrived those wines were essentially finished. At the end of the day, though, the ultimate responsibility for quality rests with the proprietors.