2019 Fifty Tons Cabernet Sauvignon

When Founders Chris James and Ames Morison discovered Bell Mountain Ranch, several of the vines were barely hanging on to crumbling terraces. To restore the natural terraces and protect the vines from further destruction, the founders along with Chris James’ father moved 50 tons of rock by hand to restore natural terraces for the vine rows. An homage to their painstakingly hard work to restore the terraces, we’ve named this structured and muscular Cabernet Sauvignon, Fifty Tons. The specific blocks that were harvested to create this wine are on steep hillsides making them difficult to farm, but incredibly intense in flavor.

The 2019 Fifty Tons is a boldly spiced wine with raspberry custard and pie crust aromas. Dark dense berry fruits, black currant, plum, and cocoa powder fill the palate. This is a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with dry smooth tannins that extend all over the mouthfeel, indicative of the cabernet grown on Bell Mountain. A youthful fruity cabernet with long aging potential.

Vintage

2019 offered nearly ideal growing conditions: a warm spring with some later rainfall set us up for good early season growth which was followed by a moderately warm summer that lasted well into October without any severe temperatures or untimely rainfall. These conditions allowed for a classic vintage.