The Benziger Family Winery has just released the 2007 and 2008 vintages of the Puma Springs Cabernet as part of their single vineyard program.  The wines are a limited production bottling available only at the Benziger Family Winery tasting room in Glen Ellen and on-line. 

Tasting Notes: - The 2007 is rich in dark fruit flavors which are enhanced by spicy tobacco and tea nuances, and the 2008 is rich in dark fruit flavors which are enhanced by spicy tobacco and tea nuances. Broad in the entry and short in length, the tannins migrate toward the edges of the palate giving a rustic, aggressive impression - making it an ideal food wine.
These exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons are grown on the gently rolling hillsides of our Puma Springs Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley. The grapes are draped in morning fog that gives way to beautiful and nourishing afternoon sunlight. In 2007 and 2008 the vineyard was in transition from high level sustainable farming methods to biodynamic methods, and was certified in 2009.  The careful management of the vineyard ensures a bold and complex flavor development in each cluster.

The 2007 vintage had an exceptionally long growing season, with significantly lower rainfall in the winter and spring.  This lack of moisture in the soil caused bud break to be almost two weeks earlier than 2006 and necessitated starting irrigation a full month early.  Then we had a smooth and even growing season. Verasion started in early August followed by a month of almost perfect weather with temperatures in the mid 80’s to mid 90’s.  Early September had a short heat spike but then settled back to a very even range of 70 to 80 degree days.  Then we harvested our Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, in early October just beating the first heavy rain of the year the very next day.

The 2008 vintage growing season and harvest were quite unusual, with a dry start, late frosts and long heat spells, then a harvest spread over 6 weeks.  The season started by being even drier than 2007, with no major rain events after February, when we normally would have rain through April, and sometimes into May.  In mid April during bud break we had a severe cold snap that caused many local vineyards to have significant frost damage, but luckily due to our local micro climate we only had minor damage to the vines. The cold spell was followed by unseasonal early high temperatures which caused the vines to catch up by verasion in early late July and August.  We then harvested the fruit in late September and early October, the second earliest ever in the vineyard.

2010 proved to be another very challenging year in the vineyard, with the weather playing havoc all year long. Unlike 2009 we did manage to get a small harvest this year, but both quality and quantity were well below what we had hoped for.

Merlot grapes being harvested and sorted, harvest 2010.

This summer after a three year process Puma Springs Vineyards finally gained the coveted Demeter Biodynamic® and USDA certification for the grapes grown at the farm.

With weather reported directly from our vineyard and updated several times a day.