In like a lion, out like a lamb?! In 2006, New Years floods were followed by a dry spring, killing frosts, an early bud break, with generally cool growing conditions. Even though there were temperatures in the hundreds for weeks in July and another heat spike at Labor Day, the overall coolness of the vintage resulted in one of the smallest harvests we have ever experienced at Herb Lamb Vineyards.

Cooler summer and fall weather broke into a warm and breezy October, allowing us to extend the harvest and pick the rows with the most maturity and best exposure for the HL Cabernet Sauvignon in mid October. Although complex and concentrated in flavor and showing intense color, the clusters and berry size were much smaller than normal. While some growers experienced up to a 40% decrease in tonnage, we were grateful to have produced 92 cases of the 2006 HL Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Having made wine from this vineyard for over 15 years, it was easy to see that the 2006 vintage was about letting Mother Nature control the ripeness and tannins,” says winemaker Mike Trujillo. “This vintage was all about letting the delicate fruit flavors express themselves over the oak and tannins.” The 2006 HL Cabernet Sauvignon is a reflection of the uniqueness of the Herb Lamb Vineyards; it is basically a cool climate Howell Mountain foothills wine produced from rocky mountain soils with a north-east exposure giving true juicy, natural fruity character to these wines instead of emphasizing the heavy tannin extraction.

The cooler weather gave us a little more heft and richness in this wine. Although rich with good structure and lots of layers and finesse, it’s more of a muscular vintage than an ultra luxurious one. “In the nose, this wine opens with aromas of dark cocoa and dried tobacco, then shows the bright black and red fruits typical of the hillside vineyard. It is very juicy in the mouth, with lots of layers and dimensions, and tastes like a mouthful of cherries and dark red berries. With aeration, the wine shows generous flavors of black cherry, currant and cocoa, with earth tones and a good finish.” The 2006 HL Cabernet Sauvignon should mature beautifully within 3-4 years, but, as with all our HL vintages, it will definitely hold its fruit and balance for 10 years.