Cult of Ceres Serritor MMXVI

Winemaker’s Notes – The inaugural release of the 2016 Serritor Cabernet is sourced from our Southwind Estate Vineyard. Located on the southern edge of the Walla Walla Valley AVA on the Oregon side, this 64-acre high elevation vineyard peaks at 1,441 feet, boasts many different aspects and soil depths over fractured basalt, and is redefining Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon. Serritor takes its name from Ceres’ helper god “who digs”, and is a Cabernet based blend that showcases the power, concentration, structure and finesse that are hallmarks of this unique and special vineyard.

Vintage Notes – 2016 continues a string of warmer-than-normal vintages starting back in 2013. The vintage started early and was warmer than normal until Mother Nature provided a reprieve from the heat. Depending on the block, the Cabernet Sauvignon at Southwind broke bud over a couple weeks, starting early during the third week of April, as the heat continued through May. The subsequent bloom occurred at the end of May – a couple of weeks earlier than normal. We welcomed cooler temperatures in June and July, then September and October provided perfect slow ripening weather. The cofermented blocks of clone 191 Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested October 19th, Block 14 Petite Verdot one day before on October 18th and Block 30 Malbec on October 3rd. The always sought after hang time led to powerful, concentrated wines with perfectly ripe savory fruit flavors, massive structure, natural acidity and saturated color, leading to extraordinary quality. We waited 5 years to release this wine because it is a powerful 20-30 year wine and deserves the patience. If you are going to open a bottle we strongly recommend decanting for 5 or more hours, as it will continue to show beautifully into the next day.

Blend – 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec

Appellation – Walla Walla Valley | Vineyard – Southwind Estate Vineyard

Wine Analysis – 5.48 grams/L Total Acidity | 3.97 pH | 14.7% Alcohol

Techniques – 21 – 27 day maceration. Barrel aged 20 months on fine lees and racked once before bottling. Bottle aged another 18 months prior to release.

Oak Program – 50% new French oak barrels | Production – 900 bottles

Price – $300 COC Member ONE 3-pack price | $240 COC Member TWO 3-pack price