At Brassfield Estate Winery, our Cabernet Sauvignons are a true reflection of our high-elevation vineyards and sustainable craftsmanship. With bold fruit, structured elegance, and age-worthy complexity, our Trio of Cabernet offers three distinct expressions of our estate—each with its own story, but all grounded in excellence.
Every one of our wines is 100% Estate Grown, Produced, and Bottled on our High Valley AVA Estate.
Crafted from a blend of select estate blocks, our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is both approachable and powerful—a true reflection of the Brassfield Estate and our dedication to quality.
We have our own picking team, giving us complete control over harvest timing and allowing us to make decisions based solely on ripeness and vineyard expression. Grapes are harvested and inoculated the same day to lock in freshness and vibrancy. Fermentation takes place with dedicated twice-daily pump overs and precise temperature control in our stainless steel tanks, ensuring ideal extraction and structure.
The wine is aged in a thoughtful combination of French oak barrels and tanks, bringing together purity of fruit and refined winemaking finesse. The result is a Cabernet that’s bold yet balanced—crafted with care from vine to glass.
Estate Cabernet Tasting Notes:
Black currant, cassis, plum, and dark cherry, with hints of mocha, vanilla, and toasted spice. Smooth tannins lead to a polished, layered finish.
Why Choose Estate Cabernet:
The Block 14 Cabernet Sauvignon—sourced from our High Serenity Vineyard, a high-density, single-block site perched on a raised bench between the valley floor and the ridgeline.
At Brassfield Estate, our winemaking emphasizes traditional, hand-crafted techniques and uncompromising quality. Block 14 Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested in the early morning to preserve freshness and precision. Fruit was carefully sorted and gently transferred to maintain whole berries, then fermented using a combination of stainless steel tanks with pump overs and oak puncheons with twice-daily punch downs to build structure and depth. The wine was aged for 18 months in barrel—40% new French oak and 60% neutral—with malolactic fermentation occurring in our wine caves. Monthly lees stirring enhanced body, texture, and integration, resulting in a wine that balances power with elegance and is built to evolve gracefully over time.
This is a firmly structured yet refined Cabernet—defined by elevation, ancient soils, and deliberate craftsmanship—offering a singular expression of High Serenity Vineyard Block 14.
Tasting Notes:
Well-concentrated and structured, with aromas of ripe black currant and blue fruit. The palate is robust and focused, framed by tight, gripping tannins that carry ripe dark fruit through a long, persistent finish. Subtle baking spice and floral notes of rosewood and violet add layers of complexity and polish.
Why Choose Block 14 Cabernet Sauvignon:
The Reserve Cabernet—crafted only in standout vintages from our most elevated vineyard blocks and made with unwavering attention to detail.
We ferment select lots in 600L open-top puncheons, using twice-daily punch downs to extract depth, structure, and fine tannins. Each lot receives tailored yeast and nutrient protocols, allowing us to fully express the unique character of the fruit. Aged in 40% new French oak of the highest quality, the Reserve Cabernet also undergoes secondary and long-term aging in large-format barrels (500L–600L), which enhance integration, preserve freshness, and contribute to the wine’s graceful aging potential. This wine is built to evolve beautifully in bottle, thanks to extended aging and meticulous barrel-by-barrel blending.
This is a bold yet refined Cabernet—our most cellar-worthy expression—shaped by site, vintage, and intention at every step.
Tasting Notes:
Layered and elegant, an expression of High Valley terroir. Highest quality oak and fruit. Lifted fruits and floral traits.
Why Choose our Reserve Cabernet:
Our vineyards range from the High Valley floor up to the surrounding volcanic ridges. The unique nature of this terrain’s microclimates makes for challenging growing, and the resulting wines are made to stand up to that challenge. From the two exposures of the Monte Sereno Vineyard to the top of Volcano Ridge, Brassfield Estate’s grapes are dynamic in their character and delicious in their flavor
It only makes sense that a ridge created by something as intense as a volcanic eruption (or rather, hundreds of eruptions), should create grapes of intense richness & complexity.
Originally planted in 2003 and 2004, Volcano Ridge (created by hundreds of eruptions from the nearby Round Mountain Volcano) totals 85 acres devoted to all red varietals, with numerous clones of each (primarily 110R rootstock). At 1900 – 2200 ft. elevation, the volcanic sands and tephra (small, fused sand pebbles) of the Konocti Series make for excellent drainage. Vines struggle in these soils, and the intensity of that struggle is reflected in the layers of complexity and structure, in the concentrated fruit, and in the final expression of Volcano Ridge wines.
Stressful growing conditions make for excellent wine. Perspective Vineyard is both remarkably dramatic -the kind of place only a grape vine could survive.
Planted in 2008 with clones of Syrah and Viognier, the Franciscan shale of Perspective Vineyard on our western-most ridge overlooks Clear Lake. Its 2,717 elevation ( Height of Burj Khalifa) makes for a rocky and well-drained vineyard. A windy site and lean location, along with the density of 5×3 spacing (2900 vines per acre) provide the desirable stress to perfect one of the best growing locations in the world for our Perspectives Syrah
Our home ranch on the westside of the High Valley AVA has been known as “High Serenity Ranch” for over one hundred years.
Each block is comprised of ancient lakebed and alluvial soils from the surrounding mountain range. The transverse valley winds create some of the coolest sites in Lake County. The lower temperatures on the valley floor allow for diurnal temperature swings of more than forty degrees, enhancing flavor development while retaining a crisp acidity.
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