This wine is fashioned along the lines of a Super Tuscan and features 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Petit Verdot creates a "spice box" element with dense fruit, dark color, powerful flavors, and a cedary-pencil shavings nose. This tasty wine us occasionally, but rarely bottled anywhere as a stand-alone varietal, which we think is too bad for all those other winemakers out there! Since this grape ripens late, its availability can be limited due to October rains in El Dorado County!

The Cabernet Sauvignon vines that produced this wine are both now just under 30 years old and are near their optimal maturity. Growing at altitudes of 3000 and 1200 feet respectively these vines have a late ripening cycle and produce grapes that show how good Sierra Foothill Cabernet Sauvignon can be. After hard-harvesting and crushing the grapes were fermented over seven-day periods in open-top containers. During fermentation the must was punched down by hand four times a day to extract maximum color and varietal character. After settling the wine was aged in neutral French and American Oak barrels to let as much varietal character show through as possible. The wine was racked by gravity flow only, never pumped, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Malbec is known as a lesser Bordeaux grape variety used in making red wine. Nonetheless, Malbec wines tend to have an inky dark color, a brooding spicy element and significant tannins. Long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine the French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France region but the wine is extensively produced in Argentina.

Renegade Red has always been one of Crystal Basin Cellars most interesting wines, combining the flavors and characteristics of different grape varieties and regions to create a greater whole, a la Gestalt theory. It, like us, is a natural rule breaker and is a different blend each harvest. The grapes came from long-time Crystal Basin Cellar sources from 5 vineyards; each in El Dorado County. Each variety was hand harvested, fermented in small open top vessels, pressed lightly and aged separately in used oak barrels.

Gold Medal winner and Best of Region California State Fair. The Cabernet Franc vines that produced 60% of this wine are now 27 years old and are near their optimal maturity. Growing at an altitude of 1200 feet, these vines have a mid to late ripening cycle. After hard harvesting and crushing, the grapes were fermented over a 14 day period in open top containers. The must was punched down by hand four times a day to extract maximum color and varietal character. The wine was pressed in a small manually operated vertical basket press. After settling the wine was aged in neutral French and American oak barrels to let us much varietal character. The wine as racked by gravity flow only, never pumped. And was bottled unfined and unfiltered.