2012 Cliff Lede Beautiful Generation Cabernet Sauvignon, Rock Block Series, Stags Leap District, 3L

In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process which includes our cutting edge optical sorter, and a slow, individual berry hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks and by our unique crane system which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pumpovers and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles.