2009 Obsidian Ridge – Half Mile

230 cases produced
14.4% alcohol
3.94 pH
6.5 g/L titratable acidity
$60 per bottle

[HISTORY]  Eleven years ago when Peter laid out the blocks to be planted at Obsidian Ridge, he singled out a notch at the highest elevation with the hope of making a vin de garde. At 2,640' elevation, this vineyard may produce the only wine made in California at a half-mile high. Planted with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and, of course, Cabernet Sauvignon, the block distinguishes itself with one variety in one year, and another in the next.

[TASTING NOTES]  Gorgeously ripened black fruit aromas leap from the glass, framed by the warm clove and cinnamon spice notes of the Tokaji barrels. There is an indelible pedigree and power to this wine, as it is as dark in color and plush in texture as one can imagine a wine to be. This character comes from the drought-suffering berries which really struggled to grow to full size, and in the final days of the season, lost a fifth of their weight due to evaporation from an astonishing dry spell. But it was precisely these conditions that provided the power, weight and density that makes this wine extraordinary. It is a show stopper.

[VINTAGE]  This was the third year of drought in Northern California and the vines returned an exceptional performance in response to the conditions. Maybe they knew their roots would be drenched in the winter to come, for in October they devoted themselves to all-out ripening. The extraordinarily intense wines emerging from the withering heat and dry air reflect the maturing of the vines as they enter their second decade with roots deeply established to handle the adversity of this vintage.

[WINEMAKING]  Following on the success of our first vintage making Half Mile, we have applied the same principles and given the wine all new barrels from the Tokaji forest. These are slow extraction barrels, and the benefit of time is apparent only toward the end of the wine’s residence in them. Blending a significant amount of Petit Verdot into the Cabernet Sauvignon, far more than the typical 2% to 5%, we have learned how the monolithic nature of Petit Verdot will be perforated, cracked open, and its more poetic soul exposed if we push it and trust in its evolution. The acidity of Petit Verdot, all the more remarkable in a vintage such as 2009, is tenacious while the fruit lingers on the vine, and is an essential contributor to the persistence and focus of the wine.


Michael Blaise Terrien, Winemaker

  Click here to download the complete 2009 fact sheet

  Click here to download the complete 2007 fact sheet