Second red wine we tried from Cadle Family Wines. Darkest purplish ruby red of the lineup. Beautifully layered nose, with an onslaught of baking spices (cinnamon and caramel) that leads into some savory undertones (gamey and light dirty cellar). Light body that builds up as it opens up to a moderate plus body. Some light greenery, plums and red cherries on the palate. Cherries carry throughout the body. Lots of acidity, definitely needs some time to balance out. Dry and very long finish. Definitely the bigger of the wines tasted from Cadle Family Wines, needs some more bottle age and this will be a beauty.

Cadle Family Wines is a small production wine estate that is part of a larger collective known as Holman Cellars. The winemaker/owner is Kevin Cadle who decided to start making wines after being an international teacher in countries like Curacao, Boliva, Columbia and Morocco. Prior to starting his own estate, Kevin started in the wine industry at Etude Wines before becoming the Associate Winemaker at Ancien Wines where we worked with making wines for Tournesol Wine and Yorba Wines. Kevin's wine-making philosophy is pretty straight forward. He does this by finding high-quality fruit, making interesting/overlooked varietals and of course bringing out the best flavors. At the moment Kevin is making a Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Chardonnay Musqué, Sangiovese, Dolcetto and a Rosé of Sangiovese.

Blau vineyard is located at the base of Mt. St. Helena covered in volcanic and Obsidian soil. This area has the perfect conditions for growing Malbec due its warm days and cool nights and being a hillside vineyard means excellent drainage. Made of 100% Malbec and aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak. Prior to aging the fruit was cold soaked and left on the skins through maceration until being pressed into the French oak barrels for aging. Only 115 cases produced.

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