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Comprised of 55 acres of Cabernet and broken into 21 blocks, Hidden Ridge Vineyards is located in rugged terrain, between Mount Hood and Diamond Mountain on Mayacamas mountain range between Santa Rosa and St. Helena. At elevations ranging from 900-1700 feet, their terraced vineyards fall between the range’s saddles creating some of the most dramatic vineyard sites in Sonoma. Their closest neighbors are Pride & Paloma Vineyards. Altered over thousands of years by geologic change, remnants of river bed can be found at the peaks of 1700 feet and volcanic basalt soil is found through out the vineyard. Three distinct areas: the "Ancient Slide", the "Uplifted Riverbed" and a volcanic "Twin Cinder Cone" provide distinct growing conditions. Deep volcanic basalt and sandy clay loam soils support the 4 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon: 4, 337, 7 and 169. "That’s some good grape dirt up there" Oklahoma native and owner Lynn Hofacket points out eyeing his property. Adds winemaker Marco Di Giulio; "A vineyard so steep, so well developed, so interesting in its planning scheme and with so much vision behind it that I could not help but be blown away. I bring my other winemaker friends out there because I like to see the awed expressions on their faces. Yeah, it’s really that amazing." An abundance of ripe fruit with a strong sense of place in each grape, Di Giulio jumped at the chance to guide Hidden Ridge from vineyard to barrel. His gift, allowing the vineyard to do the talking, offering only guidance to the wine. Extended maceration leads to extraction and tannins, while gentle pumpovers allowed the wine to develop richness without manipulation. The end result, one of Sonoma County’s most promising Cabernet finds in a decade.
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