2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon already offers power, focus and purity with an oak-driven freshness, divine spiciness and a rocky graphite essence in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine features flavors of juicy dark cherry, black plum and spiced blackberries along with succulent tannins over the mid-palate. The wine reveals layers of complexity that somersault through the long-lingering finish. It's already showing fantastically and is proof that the team at Trothe has pointed at the centerfield fence and is eager and ready to swing away! Keep these guys on your radar!
97-99 points – Robert Parker Wine Advocate
- 14.5%
- 5.9 G/L
- 3.86
- August 2023
- September 2024
Growing Season
At the time, 2021 was the hottest on record at Andrews Family Vineyards and across Washington State. In the vineyard, a large canopy helped shade and cool fruit during the day’s heat, extending the ripening period. While leaf removal at the start of summer is the norm, in 2021 the canopies were kept intact—protecting the fruit from an unexpected heat wave in late June (ten days of 105-118F) and preserving vibrancy and freshness in the berries. Just another example of how the best wine is grown in the vineyard, and not made in the winery.
Vineyard Details
In order to capture a balance of ripe fruit and fresh acidity, Trothe fruit was the first picked in most blocks.
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- CS98 (65.5%), CS03 (33%), CS16 (1.5%)
- Clone 8
- 9 Barrels
Block CS98
Planted 1998, 9x6 spacing, southern slope (20-25%), warm site, 990-1090 ft. elevation, Mikkalo and Warden silt loam soil
Block CS03
Planted 2003, 9x6 spacing, very slight southern slope, cool site, 980-1000 ft. elevation, Warden silt loam soil
Block CS16
Planted 2016, 8x6 spacing, very slight northern slope, cool site, high elevation - 1425 ft. elevation, Warden silt loam soil
Cellaring
The 2021 Trothe Cabernet Sauvignon is poised, with silky tannins and fine acidity. The care we put into crafting and bottling our wines makes them approachable now with freshness and exuberance. They will continue to develop complexity and integration, drinking well for decades to come.
Vinification
Vinified in Nico Velo concrete tanks, each of the three contributing blocks to the 2021 Trothe Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented to allow its unique terroir to shine brightest. We worked with Dargaud & Jaegle to identify forests and toasts best suited to our distinct elevations: 900, 1100, and 1421 feet. The wine was aged in 75% new French oak for 23 months, then in bottle for 13 months.
