Neyers - 'AME' Cabernet Sauvignon

Our Conn Valley Ranch is rectangular, with the two long sides running north and south. The southern boundary is bordered by Conn Creek, and is about 400 feet in elevation. As the property extends north, it rises in elevation, reaching almost 1000 feet at the northern boundary. The soil in the south is deep gravel with some sandstone, clay and loam. As we go north approaching the higher elevation blocks, the soil becomes increasingly steep and rocky, due to the large blocks of Basalt or compacted volcanic ash. When David Abreu joined us as viticulturalist in 1992, he was immediately attracted to the highest elevation parcel because of its ideal drainage and southern facing. After digging a few test holes, Abreu reported that the area was well suited for Cabernet Sauvignon, and would be become the ?SOUL? of our winery. I mentioned his observation to my French-speaking office manager, and she was quick to point out that the French word for ?Soul? was ?ÂME?, and it contained the first name initial of each of our three children ? Alexandra, Michael and Elizabeth. We named the parcel the ÂME Vineyard.The 2016 harvest produced a crop of grapes perfect for this bottling. This wine is intense, yet smooth, dark and decadent. It is a wine to cellar for a decade, or decant for an hour and enjoy it today. This lush wine is balanced with tannins and beautiful ripe fruit acids and yields a sensational mouthfeel. The softness is due to the extra time extended for skin maceration.