The Art
The 2000 vintage marks Kenwood Vineyards’ 26th edition of the Artist Series.   The artist is Andrés Morillo, born in the Philippines in 1938, who came to the United States as a young man and settled on the Monterey Peninsula in 1967.  Initially a watercolorist, Morillo became versed in pastels as well as oils, and has become known for using color as a primary element in his work.  With transcending vibrancy, his art reminds us that nature’s harmony lies in the interaction of color, light and form, elements superbly balanced in this painting, “Saint Ives Harbor.”

The Wine
An elegant, concentrated wine with lively aromas of cherries and figs followed by aromatic notes of dried herbs and mint, the 2000 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon has the rich texture and firm tannins the wine is renowned for and should continue to improve in the bottle for at least a decade.

The finest lots of Cabernet Sauvignon were selected from vineyards located at an elevation of about 1,400 feet on the Mayacamas mountain range, bordering Sonoma Valley.  Known for generating low-yielding crops, these prominent vineyards produce complex wines that exhibit a high concentration of vibrant fruit.  

After harvest in early October, the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks.  In the traditional cuvee method of winemaking, the lots were aged separately in small French oak barrels for a total of 32 months.  The wine was then aged for eleven months in the bottle before being released to the market in the fall of 2004.

Composition:  97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec
Aging:  32 months in French oak
Alcohol:  13.5%