Crescere Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2019

For Crescere owners, Joe and Elena Reynoso, their journey always circles back to the land. Since acquiring their Alexander Valley property three decades ago, the couple has invested their hearts and souls into nurturing the 500-acre estate. Their hands-on experience in farming grapevines, olive groves, stone fruits, citrus trees, and apple trees has instilled in them a profound understanding of the toil and patience required in cultivating premium crops. Yet, Joe’s respect for the synergy between humans and the natural world, i.e., agriculture, predates his role as a grape grower. His formative years in the Central Valley of California, as the son of a migrant worker, exposed him to the reality that “everything worth eating (and in the future, drinking) takes time.”

After 20 years of selling their grapes to Sonoma’s top wineries, Joe and Elena made the leap from grower to vintner and founded Crescere. They focused the brand on crafting single-vineyard wines using cutting-edge technologies and practices. Philippe Melka and his winemaking atelier joined the Crescere team to aid in the endeavor, and while Philippe’s reputation precedes him as the "it" Consulting Winemaker of Napa and Sonoma with brand partners like Dana Estate, Alejandro Bulgheroni, and Tusk, his shared philosophy that the health and state of the vineyards is paramount sealed the deal for Joe and Elena. For this reason, Philippe is not just involved in the winemaking process but is a critical player in the vineyard management of the wines. He selects the parcels down to the rows that go into the Crescere wines and dictates the specific farming techniques for each plot, all with the intention and in the pursuit of remarkable wines.

The 2019 Crescere Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot, all sourced from higher elevation parcels in the vineyard. The grapes are hand-harvested and hand-sorted, a testament to the meticulous care that goes into each bottle. The Cabernet ferments in concrete, while the Petit Verdot ferments in stainless steel, with an extended maceration of 25 days to impart deep color and develop the tannic structure. The wine then ages in 85% new French oak barrels for 22 months before bottling, unfined and unfiltered. The result is a wine with aromas of mission fig, cherry cola, and black plum, layered over savory tones of compost, cracked pepper, and iron. The palate is dense with sumptuous tannins and balanced acidity, showcasing the currant, black cardamom, and tomato leaf notes. Crescere produced only 203 cases of this Estate Cabernet that showcases the hard work and dedication of the Reynoso family.