Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

The 2013 Encosta is an inky purple wine. A very full bodies wine of fully ripe lush black & red fruits such as Bing cherry, black currants, and black plum dominate the aromatics and flavors. Secondary aromatics of dried tobacco, hot volcanic rock, and purple flowers are on full display. A very full bodied wine that has a massive tannic structure that is in full check with the generous fruit and minerality of this wine.

Growing up in Portugal, Manuel Pires spent summers on his grandfather's Quinta in the famed wine region of Douro. There, he made a promise to one day live life working the land. In 2006, Manuel and his wife, Cristina, purchased an estate on Pritchard Hill and began development of what would become Gandona Estate. Together with winemaker, Philippe Melka, and viticulturalist, Jim Barbour, they dedicate themselves to producing world-class wines. Produced and bottled by Gandona Inc. Encosta ("slope") Cabernet Sauvignon originates from the steeply terraced hillsides of Gandona Estate and its terra-cotta-colored volcanic soil. The 2011 vintage is a wine celebrating the very soul of hillside fruit capturing the essence of the vine's interaction with earth and sun.