2003 Cabernet Sauvignon "Conquest"
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Grape Variety: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Malbec, 4% Petite Verdot

Appellation: Paso Robles

Analysis: Alcohol: 14.5% pH: 3.59 TA: .72 g/100ml RS: 0.25%

Harvest Dates: 9/23/03 to 10/30/03 Six vineyards harvested

Barrel Aging: 20 months 20% new oak barrels French, American and Hungarian

Tasting Notes
A lovely Cab with an intense, varietal nose, it has aromas of cherry, chocolate, mint and clove. Medium-bodied and remarkably structured, its berry and coffee flavors coalesce into a lengthy, mouth-coating finish. A complex and age worthy wine, it will continue to improve, if properly cellared, until 2010. Serve at room temperature with any beef or lamb dish. Vintage 2003 2003 gave us a difficult growing season, but quality seems to be quite good as a result of judicious vineyard practices throughout the year. A late start in the vineyard because of cool spring temperatures gave way to a warm summer that was marked by several small rain events and a number of heat spikes. The fall weather was very nice, maintaining warm weather that fully ripened everything by the end of October, before the first rains. Overall, the vintage produced wines with loads of fruit and above average ripeness and alcohol levels. Winemaking We chose the best individual barrels from five separate Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, all from the prestigious westside of Paso Robles, along with a single barrel of a Malbec/Petite Verdot blend, also from a westside ranch. Each lot was fermented at warm temperature and pumped over until dryness, then barrel-aged separately, with the final blend put together at time of bottling, focusing on fruit and balance.