2007 Linked Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knight's Valley
True to the vineyard, this wine is made with 100% estate Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a powerful wine that showcases the balance of power and elegance. A first glance at the deep, dark ruby color fringed with mahogany suggests a wine of great character and complexity. The nose is redolent of intense, concentrated red and black fruit with hints of chocolate and tobacco, finely-framed by delicate oak. Each sip reveals a new flavor dimension; black currant, blueberry, dark Bing cherry and plum mingle with tobacco, leather, cocoa, black pepper, and allspice. Supple tannins dance around balanced acidity to give a silken finish that goes on and on.
While the Linked Cabernet is drinking beautifully now, it has the potential to age 15-20 years past the vintage date. 118 cases produced.
The Wine While this may be Jessica and Drew's first release, the origins of this wine started over a decade ago when Jessica's Dad purchased land in Knight's Valley and planted a small vineyard. It is a spectacular piece of property in the hills on the west side of the Mayacamas Mountain range where the slope, volcanic soils and 1200 foot elevation make the vines work exceptionally hard. The result: exceptional fruit. Read More
In 2007 the vines were producing the quality of fruit that Drew deemed ready for their first vintage. That summer Jessica and Drew met Luc Morlet, consulting winemaker at Peter Michael, and they knew they had found a kindred spirit. His expertise crafting small production Bordeaux-style wines from mountain vineyards, coupled with his knowledge of Knight's Valley, made Luc a perfect match for Linked Vineyards. His excitement to work with this exceptional Knights Valley Cabernet fruit made Linked the perfect match for Luc.
The wine they make is literally hand-crafted: the grapes are picked, sorted and crushed -- by hand. Winemaking starts in the vineyard with shoot and cluster thinning to get the right architecture in the canopy, allowing each cluster to develop a full range of deep flavors and color. Linked is typically one of the last vineyards in the area to begin harvest in order to get complex flavor development. The fruit is hand picked into small boxes and chilled overnight. Fully cooled, the clusters are hand sorted and gently de-stemmed. Then, the berries go through two additional stages of sorting, the final one done meticulously by hand. This fruit is hand-crushed and transferred to small tanks and oak puncheons, and allowed to cold-soak. Only native wild yeasts are used in the fermentation. The wine is aged for 16 months in artisan French cooperage. There is no filtration or fining prior to bottling, presenting a wine true to the fruit. Every step of the wine-making process is thoughtful and deliberate, allowing the character of the grapes, and the place they come from, to emerge in the wine.
While we can try our best to give a sense of this wine and its potential, the best thing to do is open a bottle and experience it yourself. You'll understand why this is such a special wine, from a special spot in Knight's Valley, made by people who have found real joy in its creation. Each bottle is hand numbered and registered to you. So you will always have a link to Linked Vineyards, and they to you.
Luc Morlet, Winemaker The experience of four generations of winegrowers was passed on to Luc Morlet at a very young age as he grew up working in the vineyards and winery founded by his family in Avenay-Val-d’Or, Champagne. Not one to rest comfortably in the past, Luc took all that family knowledge and developed it further with a Viticulture degree from Ecole Viticole de Champagne, a Masters in Enology from Rheims University, France and an MBA in Wine Business from Dijon Business School, Burgundy. Internships at wineries in Bordeaux and Burgundy through the course of his studies provided Luc the opportunity to grow and polish his personal winemaking style. Read More
The winemaking style embraced by Luc is clearly rooted in the Morlet family philosophy of “Passion, Terroir and Savior-faire.” The Passion is apparent in his tireless energy and focused approach to winemaking. His exploration of exceptional vineyards in California shows his commitment to Terroir. And “Savoir-faire” or “doing the right or graceful thing” is evident in what Luc describes as a non-interventionist winemaking philosophy: winemaking with centuries old principles, classic methods and the pursuit of ultimate quality.
What people are saying...
91 POINTS Good bright ruby-red. Perfumed, varietally classic aromas of cassis, licorice and graphite. Sweet, layered and deep, with a distinctly sappy quality and noteworthy energy to the dark berry and pronounced mineral flavors. From 7-year-old west-facing vines pruned to one cluster per shoot. Finishes ripe but brisk, with excellent length. I like this style. Winemaker Luc Morlet buys some of this fruit for his Mon Chevalier bottling.
90 POINTS Crushed flowers, espresso, mocha, plums and blackberries are some of the notes that flow from the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. The soft tannins and developing aromas make the 2007 an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years. This is a strong first effort. At the same time, the progress the estate has made since this wine was produced is quite obvious. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017.
Vineyard owner Ken Link planted his hillside vineyard in Knights Valley in 2000. The vineyard sits at about 1,200 feet above sea level and is composed of volcanic soils. Linked Vineyard owners Jessica Link and Drew Johnson brought on consulting oenologist Luc Morlet to oversee winemaking. Morlet of course has a long history with Knights Valley, starting from his time at Peter Michael, where he remains a consultant. Based on the three wines I tasted, I think it is fair to say Linked Vineyards is off to a rousing start.