Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (750ml)

 

Rated 90 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This wine is rich, concentrated with aromas of blackberry, mulberry, clove and violet on the nose.  The mid palate has flavors of dry black plum, black cherry, black pepper, intertwined with dark chocolate, sweet cigar and a supple dry finish.  Tonya Pitts, Jan 2024

 

Double Gold:  San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2024

 

Rated 90 Points + Gold:  Sommelier Choice Awards 2024

 

Cannonball Wines

 

Cannonball wines are sourced from select regions throughout California.  The diverse microclimates, topography and soils provide the perfect palette to create wines that are complex, highly consistent, and a pure expression of the variety.

 

The Cannonball California family of growers and suppliers embrace and prioritize the principles of sustainable and restorative farming.  These grape growers integrate the best elements of traditional viticulture with the ever-evolving farming techniques and knowledge of contemporary agriculture.

 

Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

 

Elegant and expressive.  An exciting revival of a classic style.  Our Cabernet has the best characteristics of traditional California and old world Bordeaux.

 

Intense fruit aromas of black cherry, plum accented by vanilla, caramel and rich toasted oak.  Full on the palate with good concentration and considerable structure on the finish.

 

Tasting Notes

 

The nose is aromatic, leading with berry compote, cassis, mocha, and graphite.  On the palate the berry fruit opens with cherry, transitioning to focused black current on the mid-palate.  The savory varietal notes of anise and dried herb ground the fruitiness and give the wine gravity, leading to a firm, focused finish.  The wine is medium-bodied and elegant with integrated French oak complexity and fine, yet firm tannins.

 

Alcohol:  13.5%

 

Food Pairings

 

Pairs beautifully with burgers, NY steak, short ribs, lamb chops, pizza, pasta with bolognese sauce, Stilton cheese, and chocolate desserts!

 

Winemaker Notes

 

Californiaʼs North and Central Coast appellations are excellent for growing rich, flavorful, varietally pure Cabernet Sauvignon.  With temperatures and vine growth kept in check by daily fog banks drafted from the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, fruit maturity is achieved steadily while flavor and color development are optimized.  In homage to the varietyʼs roots in Bordeaux, France we turn to the Mendocino and Monterey growing regions to showcase the interplay of fruit and earth flavors for which Cabernet Sauvignon is so celebrated.

 

Our fruit is harvested at first light while the fruit is still cool and transported to the winery where it is de-stemmed and partially crushed to release juice from the berries.  The incorporation of about 35% whole-berries creates texture and flavor-complexing components.  We select cultivated yeast strains to ensure a healthy and complete fermentation and to preserve and optimize the purity of varietal expression.  Cabernetʼs tough skins require that the ʻcapʼ be punched down or pumped-over at least twice a day during the peak of fermentation and to help liberate the desirable compounds from the skins.  Warm fermentation temperatures including reaching a short, controlled heat spike mid-fermentation contribute to the mouthfeel and depth of the wine.  A week or two of extended maceration post-fermentation is adopted for some lots to help refine and integrate tannins.  Cellaring with French oak in a range of toast levels and cooperages layers the wine and serves as a framework to pull the blend together.

 

 

Cannonball Wines

 

Legs tucked beneath you, soaring through the air –

that uninhibited spirit is the soul of Cannonball wines.

 

Legs tucked beneath you, soaring through the air — that uninhibited spirit is the soul of Cannonball wines.  The Cannonball icon represents your inner child, a time when life was carefree and all about having fun!

 

Founded in 2006 by Yoav Gilat and a dynamic team of wine industry veterans, Cannonball was born out of a shared determination to rock the wine world.  With the vision to produce the best California Cabernet under $20 and the belief that wine should be fun, uninhibited, and approachable, they set out to share a splash of Cannonball Cabernet in every glass.

 

2006 The beginning.

 

It all began with one varietal: Cabernet.  Combining his business acumen, legal expertise, passion for food and wine, and love for California, founder Yoav Gilat launched Cannonball Wine Company with the belief that wine should be fun, uninhibited, and approachable.

 

“The founding vision was to produce one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons under $20 for the U.S. market.  I set out to make a wine that I would want to drink and be proud to share.”

 

And then there were four…

 

Cannonball Cabernet had established a solid reputation in the marketplace.  Cannonball enthusiasts wanted more!  Driven by market demand, the line was extended.  The first varietal was Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and then Sauvignon Blanc.  As our first born, Cannonball Cabernet remains our flagship wine.

 

Through tireless passion and drive, distribution in all the major U.S. markets and a handful of International, a solid foundation of success took hold.

 

Today, our passion remains the same — to deliver inclusive, approachable wines that remind wine lovers around the world not to take life too seriously!

 

 

Rated 90 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This wine is rich, concentrated with aromas of blackberry, mulberry, clove and violet on the nose.  The mid palate has flavors of dry black plum, black cherry, black pepper, intertwined with dark chocolate, sweet cigar and a supple dry finish.  Tonya Pitts, Jan 2024