2007 Chateau St Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages Sonoma County

The Vineyards
Cinq Cépages is the flagship wine of Chateau St. Jean. Each year, Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren selects fruit from the finest Bordeaux variety vineyards to craft a wine that showcases the best of Sonoma County. The primary grape sources for the 2007 vintage are Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Sonoma Valley. The Alexander Valley grapes highlight bright berry with back notes of dried herbs, while the Sonoma Valley fruit is from our home vineyard – the St. Jean Estate Vineyard – and brings black and dense mountain fruit to the blend. The Knights Valley fruit adds boysenberry flavors and elegant tannins.

Winemaking
The 2007 Cinq Cépages (“Five Varieties”) is a Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (10%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Malbec (4%), and Petit Verdot (2%). All five varietal components are used each vintage to create the stylized blend that is Cinq Cépages. Each component is aged separately for two years in small French (94%) and American (6%) oak barrels before blending. Margo uses 49% new French and 4% new American oak barrels. Once the wine is assembled, it spends an additional six months in the bottle before release.

Winetasting Comments
The 2007 vintage of the Cinq Cépages is one of elegance. The nose is vivid with aromas of ripe blackberry, plum and rose petal floral notes. The palate offers a rich, plush dark fruit density surrounded by fine tannins and a raw silk texture. Complex layers of boysenberry, black plum and roasted coffee combine beautifully with notes of mocha. This wine has beautiful oak integration and a juicy core that leads to a lingering finish with hints of clove spice.