Alexander Valley Vineyards is located in the heart of Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley on the historic property settled in the 1840s by valley namesake, Cyrus Alexander. The Wetzel Family purchased the original homestead in 1962, continuing a tradition of family farming on the site. From the beginning they treasured the spot they call home and took steps to preserve it for future generations. In 2008 Hank and Linda Wetzel began organically farming a small Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, today we farm over 19 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon clones 4, 6 & 337 organically.
The 2020 growing season enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions. The year began with unseasonably warm temperatures, and lower than normal rainfall. This was followed by weeks of steady daytime heat and cool evenings, allowing the grapes to ripen evenly. At harvest, the quality of the fruit was excellent with high acidity and intense flavors.
We vinified and aged the organic vineyard fruit separately to produce our “organically grown” Cabernet Sauvignon. After harvest the grapes were de-stemmed, fermented and aged in 48% new French and American oak barrels for 26 months.
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is fruit forward with velvety structure. In the glass there are earthy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, oak and chocolate, along with juicy flavors of cherry, cassis, black cherry, plum, spice, oak and hint of cedar. The 2020 is a beautifully balanced wine with fine tannins that lead to a long finish.
Alexander Valley Vineyards has been known for world class Cabernet Sauvignon since our first vintage in 1975, this organically grown wine continues that tradition while celebrating our commitment to sustainable agriculture and family farming.
Accolades:
2020: 95 points & Gold Medal - Beverage Testing Institute
2020: 93 points - Somm Journal
