Birichino Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Birichino is the Santa Cruz Mountains project founded in 2008 by Alex Krause and John Locke, who met working at Bonny Doon. This Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Peter Martin Ray Vineyard in the Santa Cruz appellation, a cool, high-elevation Californian site where coastal influence and altitude give a wide diurnal range, slowing ripening so the fruit keeps acidity and firm tannins rather than turning jammy. The vineyards are farmed under respectful agriculture. Cabernet Sauvignon is a thick-skinned grape rich in phenolics, and the long twenty-one months in French oak allow the tannins to polymerise and soften through slow oxygen exchange while adding cedar and spice. The colour is deep ruby. The nose shows cassis, dark cherry and red currant with tobacco and a cocoa edge from the wood. The palate is full bodied with firm, structured tannins, fresh acidity from the cool site and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It is built for grilled and roast red meats and mushroom dishes.