A cool, moderate growing season with earlier bud break led bunches to mature quickly. But in the latter part of August, the heat spikes caused many different varieties to ripen at the same time, causing havoc at the wineries. The weather turned cool in September and a series of light rains in October slowed the harvest. But the thick skins on the Cabernet Sauvignon allowed it to hang and mature until mid October, developing intense fruity flavors. At harvest, the 2007 vintage was heralded by all as one of the finest in the Napa Valley; from the beginning, the labs on both the grapes and the wine were almost perfectly balanced on color, tannins, natural balance.

At its heart, the 2007 HL Cabernet Sauvignon is a reflection of the typicity of wines coming off of the Herb Lamb Vineyards. The shallow, rocky soils and north facing hillside emphasizes the fruit; it’s a cool climate hillside vineyard allowing long hang time, showing a little more acidity and highlighting the natural fruit flavors.

The 2007 vintage in the Napa Valley was a vintage of perfection, and this wine is a true reflection of this ideal growing season - it is beautifully textured and perfectly structured, fruity and balanced, and seamless from start to finish.

Winemaker Michael Trujillo is not reserved about his opinion of the 2007 HL Cabernet Sauvignon. “This wine rocks! The 2007 HL has a solid core of dense fruit, but is more classic than pretty – more like the great 1997 (plush) and 1999 (firm & rich) wines. It has sweet fruity tones emphasized by dense black fruits. It is both chocolaty and fruity – like a black cherry pie with a rich, dark Baker’s Chocolate bar back. It is already showing the velvety, textured tannins and full mouth feel of a well-balanced wine with room to age.

In the mouth, the 2007 HL Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty and plush while at the same time rich and dense - all that the ’05 was and more - and is going to be a big wine in 2-4 years. It has an extraordinary long finish, with a lingering taste of spice, black and red fruits and dense black licorice. The 2007 vintage is a bit shy in its youth but with age this wine will show highlights of the spicy black fruit, cranberry and currants and the great depth and broad base typical of HL wines. Like all great wines, the 2007 HL will only benefit from more time in the bottle to evolve and open up in the glass. Try to be patient!