April of 2003 went down on record as the wettest April in recorded history and there were more days over 70 degrees in January than March or April. This delayed the grape development, which pushed back harvest projections almost three weeks . . .very similar to the 2006 vintage we are now experiencing! The summer months were a mix of high humidity and a couple of rare thunder storms with intermittent heat spikes to urge on the maturation and cold spells to stall it.

Our greatest fears are always that the growing season will be cut short by cooler weather and rainy days, but the brilliant fall in 2003, with a three week stretch of temperatures in the 80-90 degree range, allowed increased fruit maturation. This brought a sigh of relief when we finally harvested fully ripened grapes with juicy, ripe flavors and a supple tannin structure. We were patient and lucky with the weather, and hand picked our vineyard selectively several times from the 25th to the 31st of October, and all of it ripened to perfection. Thanks again, Mother Nature.

Winemaker Michael Trujillo calls the 2003 vintage “the year of finesse, as wines from this vintage as a whole are not as muscular as the 2002. This was a more traditional growing season than the cooler 2002, giving a wine with more complexity even though it was a warmer vintage.

"The rocky hillside Herb Lamb Vineyards at 800 feet elevation faces almost due north with a row of trees off to the west and a cool breeze from the northwest, providing our vines with the benefit of early morning and mid-day light, but without the direct exposure to the late afternoon heat throughout the summer months. This creates an interesting mix of cool climate and Howell Mountain growing conditions, continuously producing a wine with all the intense Howell Mountain fruit characteristics but without the tannins.

“This wine shows great depth and rich, juicy, fruit flavors of black currant and mountain fruits,” notes Michael. “The HL Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is fruity and juicy, much like a mini 1997. The use of French oak barrels from both Nadalie and Tarransaud cooperages gives the wine a depth and intensity but with sweet oak flavors. The denseness and concentration of black fruit flavors when the wine is young will become velvety and like sweet summer black currants/blackberries when the wine matures.”