Ferrari-Carano 2006 PreVail - Back 40

At only 1.5 tons per acre, the grapes for Back Forty are grown on low-yielding vines on a 40 acre, 1,100-foot elevation vineyard block at the back side of Ferrari-Carano’s RockRise Mountain in Alexander Valley. Vibrant aromas of boysenberry, cassis, graham cracker and dried herbs blend with rich layers of dried red and black fruit and sweet, toasted oak elements on the palate. A full-bodied mid-palate with generous tannins, excellent length, vitality and texture set apart this expansive wine of extraordinary elegance.

Vintage Notes

An unusually cool, wet winter and spring caused a late start to the growing season, while above average heat in July, and then a drop in temperature mid-August gave way to early rains in October. This did not harm the fruit, though, as a late warming trend dried the vines perfectly, and brought the Cabernet Sauvignon to full maturity in late October.

Winemakers Notes

Our mountain vines are dry farmed in shallow, rocky, low-vigor soil that add impressive depth and concentration of flavor intensity to the wine. A combination of French clones 337 and 338 were selected specifically for Back Forty because of their small berry size and rich tannins. The grapes for Back Forty are hand-harvested, and upon entering the winery, hand-sorted and then gravity fed directly into oak tanks for seven days of cold soaking, then fermented and macerated for 28—35 days on the skins. After primary fermentation, the wine is gravity fed to barrel and aged in the wine caves for 20 months, with an additional 14 months aging in bottle prior to release.

Appellation: 100% Alexander Valley

Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Cooperage: 80% new French oak, 20% older French oak

Release Day: July 2010