What is in that bottle of Cabernet? In order to call an American wine a 2006 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine has to have at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 85% of the grapes have to be from Sonoma County and 85% of the wine has to have been harvested in 2006. Large wineries like Kendall Jackson strive for consistency and try to essentially make the same wine each vintage, a near impossible task considering that every year their vineyards sources change and the fact that weather can really influence the grapes/wine. Boutique wineries don’t usually follow any “formula” and just strive to produce the best wine possible.

Most wineries will do this blending right before bottling and the winemakers will taste the wine to access what the wine lacks. There are literally a myriad of possible combinations of what the blend could be and even adding as little as (more…)