Roman Ceremony, Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez Valley, California 2021

Classic notes of black cherry, chocolate, mint and peppercorns. An honest expression of Cabernet Sauvignon made with minimal intervention, leading to tons and flavor and concentration in a old school style that favors freshness and finesse without sacrificing richness.

In 2018 the Railsback brothers began making Cabernet Sauvignon with the Murphy family and Dieter Cronje at Presqu’ile Winery and bottled it as a private label for a New York City Michelin-starred restaurant. The response was outstanding, so in 2020 they contracted additional vineyards to produce the wine annually. The wine doesn't fit into the Provençal origins of their “Railsback Frères” label, so they named it “Roman Ceremony” as a celebration of the birthplace of wine.

The Cabernet Sauvignon for this project was sourced in a partnership with two organic vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. One is within the Happy Canyon AVA with a south-facing orientation on gravelly loam and studded with diverse rocky galets. The second is in the Los Olivos AVA on a bench-like terrace of fine, sandy loam with clay subsoil, and was planted to budwood from Cheval Blanc and is lovingly farmed with the application of a biodynamic worm compost tea. The combination of these two terroirs is perfectly suited to Bordelaise varietals, offering a Cabernet Sauvignon with elegance and grace.

Organic, biodynamic, low intervention.