Email or call Heather: 707-385-1191
This special wine pays homage to the two of the most important women in my life: my wife, Heather, and my daughter, Paige. Anne is Heather’s middle name and Rose is Paige’s middle name. This wine really is a reflection of my love for my “girls” – as it reminds me continuously of their wonderful individual personalities melded into one wine. With such great success in 2015, I decided to again whole-cluster press the 2016 grapes and let the juice just interact with the yeast naturally. So, I just let things happen. This very “hands off” approach is something I have been using on chardonnay since 1993 with great results (and a few failures over the years). The natural yeast flora allows for much great complexity and site expression. I am really attempting to not only capture the extraordinary attributes of the true Sonoma Coast, but blend in the love for my girls.
For the 2016 vintage, and for all future vintages, I decided to add 4 to 5 different song lyrics for each wine label. This came about as Paige and I were building the Spotify playlists for each wine. Time together just simply enjoying music seemed more personal than a single song. Here are the lyrics that you can look for on the Cuvée Anne Rose 2016 labels;
You belong somewhere you feel free ..... Wildflowers
I met a gin soaked bar room queen in Memphis ..... Honky Tonk Woman
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget ..... Hotel California
My shadow's the only one that walks besides me ..... Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Vintage Notes: This wine is a blend of Old Wente selection and Clone 4 (planted in 1984) chardonnay from the Freestone/Occidental areas of far west Sonoma County. The Heintz Vineyard adds a whole new element and structure to this chardonnay that will add a textural and complexity component for aging. Cold, difficult and long growing conditions of the true Sonoma Coast, express wines of complexity and character. The aromas of Suncrest peaches, passionfruit, lemongrass and mineral fill the glass. This 2016 chardonnay showcases flavors of yellow peaches, lemongrass, crème brulee, tropical fruits, and wet stone. The natural acidity is extremely fresh and lively with a long creamy finish on your palate. My family and I just enjoyed a bottle of this with a piece of bbq fresh king salmon I caught outside Bella Bella, BC, Canada - a great pairing.
I would consider aging the 2016 vintage Anne Rose for an additional 2-4 years, but I also believe that it will be surprisingly vibrant after 8-10 years. Cheers!
The Label Story
My wife Heather and I were fortunate enough to work with Byron Hoffman on our label design. This process was developed though several meetings at our home in Healdsburg that would sometimes last four or five hours. We talked about our family, my passion for music (rock ‘n’ roll in particular), how the wine business has provided us with an amazing life, and why we decided to pursue this project. We believe Byron very much captured our vision. This was one of the most rewarding processes I have ever been through. It seemed to finally bring our dream to life.
I adamantly resisted having my name “splashed” across the labels, so it may take a much closer look to find it. “Bob Cabral Wines” was used because the name “Cabral” had already be trademarked by a North American company importing Portuguese ports. That was just fine with me. We have used proprietary names for each wine. Each of those names has personal meaning and significance, those names have the largest font you’ll see on each label. Appellation, varietal, and vintage also are visible, since those are the most relevant information to any wine label. Byron deftly added many subtle elements from my fascination of old concert posters: the “bleeding” of color and backward lettering in a sort of balloon font to the color and texture of the paper stock we used. Each label also has a fragment of song lyric that I chose for a number of different reasons. Each is unique and meaningful to me, and I hope you find your own inspiration or muse as you enjoy the wines.
Rat De Cave
The French candle-stand called “Rat de Cave” or Cellar Rat, was the essential working tool used in the wine cellars of Burgundy. Its origin stems from far back in the past. In the year 1000 the Monks of the famous Abbey of Cluny, near Vougeot, used it to illuminate the caves that housed their wine barrels. This provided them with the necessary light to work with the wine barrels throughout the vintage. During fermentation, the colour of the flame showed the eventual evolution of gases as the wines underwent a chemical transformation. The Monks then knew to leave the caves due to lack of oxygen - a “canary” if you will. The handle or “rats tail” provides an easy grip and the hook permits to hang the stand on a nail or the head of an oak barrel. This would allow the Monks to rack the clear wine off of the heavy sediment or lees.
We chose this “tool” as a tribute or symbol to the traditional Burgundian methods I am using to craft our wines. Incorporating these traditions is an essential part of my winemaking thought process and vision - plus it’s really cool. You will not see this symbol on any of our labels, but should become quite familiar with it on the end of our bottle capsules. We hope that the flame inspires everyone towards a world of hope, peace and love.