2016 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon “Windsor Oaks” Chalk Hill

WSI93 Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, and spiced tea rise unabated from this inky black wine. A well-integrated backbone of velvety tannins and toasty oak highlights cherry and cassis flavors, leading to concentrated fruit in a seamless and assertive finish. Alcohol 14.8%.
Our entire block of Windsor Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was hand harvested on September 27th, 2016, after a warm and steady growing season ripened the crop relatively early for this block of Cabernet. For this single vineyard bottling, the ripest and most flavorful section of the vineyard was crushed separately into one-ton fermenters. Native fermentation began spontaneously after three days of a cold soak. The cap was punched down three times per day through the end of fermentation, and then pressed off immediately. The free run portion was racked to French oak for twenty months of aging, at which time eight barrels (four new and four 2-year-old) were selected for this bottling. The wine was bottled unfined in June 2018. Aged 20 months in French oak, 50% new, 50% 2 year-old. 175 cases produced.

William Knuttel’s philosophy has long been to make a wide range of wines in various styles every vintage, for the simple reason that the number of vintages for any winemaker is quite finite. This wealth of experience has led directly to his adherence to traditional winemaking practices, which lead to balanced, elegant wines that pair well with foods and have excellent aging potential—the hallmarks of classic wine.
William’s career started at Saintsbury where he was winemaker for 15 years and then Chalk Hill Winery where he oversaw all winemaking for 7 years and then finally at Dry Creek Vineyards for almost a decade!