2023 Héroe Cabernet Sauvignon
Héroe Cabernet Sauvignon is a dependable wine year after year, showcasing the very best of Paso Robles Cabernet. Sourced from the Frankel Family Estate “Puerta Electrica” block, this wine is balanced, lively, and overall easy drinking. The vineyard has a track record of excellence; these vines have aged gracefully and give forth very consistent taste and dense structure. It’s rich, concentrated, and relaxed with super soft tannins wrapped around plump plums, black cherries, raspberries, and blueberries, and finishes with bittersweet chocolate. It is packed with red fruit and delicate oak spices that taste complex and lavish. Bottled in a screw cap finish, this wine is made to be drank upon release. Enjoyable to drink now through at least 2028.
Harvest took place overnight on October 17 2022, making this vineyard the last harvested block at Frankel Vineyards for the 2022 growing season. We sampled the grapes weekly to determine the best time for harvest. The BRIX was a perfect 25.5 at harvest and the natural acidity and tannins in the grapes were also at optimal levels. The grapes were mechanically harvested using the newest model OXBO select harvester. This machine can sort the grapes as it’s picked. It also has advanced fans and mechanisms to eliminate leaves and canes. The fruit harvested grapes were beautiful looking, very consistent intact berries with little to no leaf material. The grapes are delivered to the winery at sunrise, followed by light crushing and pumping to a large fermentation tank. We cold soaked the crushed grapes for 2 days before adding yeast ICV-D254. Fermentation took 3 weeks to finish; we conducted 2 pump overs (tank circulations) each day. The tank was drained and the remaining skins were pressed. From there we sent the wine to a settling tank before racking into wood. In total seventy - 240L barrels were filled for wine aging, eighteen of these barrels were new extra fine grain American Oak barrels with various toast levels. We bottled 1,800 cases of wine after a total of 10 months of barrel aging.
I am so proud of Héroe Cabernet Sauvignon, its consistent track record has earned it a remarkable following. It continues to win high scores and gold medals; it’s a great value wine with lovely aromas and bouquets. Héroe wines are made to honor the unsung heroes in our vineyard and winery. Lugardo “Uga” Zatarian, featured on the front label, retired in 2011 and was used as “the face” of the workers. Héroe wines are made to be easy-drinking and pleasant, but also serious with plentiful textures and depth of character.
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Appellation | Paso Robles |
| Vineyard | Frankel Family Estate |
| Acid | 0.64 g/100 ml |
| PH | 3.63 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.75 g/100 ml |
| Alcohol | 13.63% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 08/16/2024 |
| Cases Produced | 1320 |
2022 is one of my favorite vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon! The year was perfect for Cabernet, the weather was extreme with severe heat in the summer and early fall. Our Cabernet loves the heat. The vineyard is located on the south-east end of the Frankel Vineyards Estate. The vines overlook the “Huero-Huero” riverbed below and three different soil profiles are located in this vineyard. These soils; San Ysidro Loam, Arbuckle – Positas, and Arbuckle – San Ysidro add to the complexity of the wine.
