The Art
Kenwood Vineyards’ 22nd release of its Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon features “Hill Street,” by Modernist Wayne Thiebaud.
Wayne Thiebaud’s painting “Hill Street” is characteristic of his paradox Modernist style, focused on the philosophical side of our spatial structures, and communicating landscapes and city views in tilting, stretching and warping extremes. Thiebaud’s critically acclaimed work is represented in galleries and museums in the U.S. and around the world.

The Wine
An elegant, intensely-concentrated wine with vibrant blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors. This wine exhibits rich, deep color, and aromas of mint, cedar, pepper and cassis.

The 1996 growing season in Sonoma County produced a light harvest for Cabernet Sauvignon fruit.  The fruit chosen for the 1996 Artist Series cuvée came predominantly from the Lindholm and Montecillo Vineyards.  Both vineyards are located at an elevation of about 1,400 feet on the Mayacamas mountain range, bordering the eastern side of Sonoma Valley.  Kenwood Vineyards Winemaker, Mike Lee, has a history of crafting exceptional wines, sourcing fruit from these prominent vineyards.  The vineyards are known for generating low-yielding crops of less than three tons per acre, producing complex wines that exhibit a high concentration of vibrant fruit.

After harvest in late September, the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks, and the lots were aged separately in small French oak barrels for 30 months.  After final blending, the 1996 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon spent an additional six months in French oak.  The wine was then further aged for eight months in the bottle before being released to the market in the fall of 2000.  This Cabernet will continue to improve with bottle aging.

Composition:  80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc
Aging:   30 months in French oak
Alcohol:  14.3%