I’m going to quote Robinson in full, as she explains this well:
From the tech sheet: 'The base of Fission is sourced from Alta Vista Vineyard,
located above the town of Sonoma at the southern end of the Mayacamas Range.
Situated at 1,650 ft, this 17-acre site is one of the highest elevations in the region.
The vineyard, planted in 1972, follows the natural contours of the hillside, with
varied exposure depending on terrace length. The soils are rocky, with highly
fractured stones in an advanced state of decomposition. The vineyard is dry-
farmed, using St. George rootstock and an old field selection of Cabernet
Sauvignon ... Hand-harvested fruit is fully destemmed and gently gravity-fed into
5-ton open-top fermenters. A cold soak lasts 4–5 days to extract colour and
flavour precursors before the must naturally warms to room temperature,
initiating spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. Early fermentation is
managed with a mix of gentle pumpovers and a few punchdowns to ensure
optimal extraction. As fermentation progresses, only pumpovers are performed to
maintain balance. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is immediately pressed
off the skins and allowed to settle for 36 hours. The young wine is then racked into
barrels for ageing.' Fruit harvested from 16th September to 29th September. Wine
was aged for 12 months in 35% new French oak with the remainder in 1- and 2-
year-old barrels. pH 3.7, TA 5.6 g/l.
Deep purple. Gorgeously herbal with dried sagebrush and warm, ripe-yet-tart
blackberry on the nose. Rocky earthiness to the palate, with cedar spice and
building tannin balanced by fresh acidity. Long. Not nearly ready. One of the best
deals I've seen for Cabernet Sauvignon of this calibre in my time reviewing. This is
only the third vintage for this producer (owned by husband/wife team Rodrigo
Soto – ex-Quintessa – and Mai Errazuriz – ex-Faust) and I don't think the wine will
stay in the $75 range for long ... this could go toe to toe with Napa's top names.
Absolutely get in now if you can.
