Technical Data

Grape Source: Lucky 8 Vineyard
Appellation: Livermore Valley
Varietal Content: Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage Notes

The 2024 growing season in Livermore Valley brought warmth, concentration, and generous fruit character. After a steady winter and spring, summer warmth helped Cabernet develop ripe black-fruit flavors, rich color, and smooth texture. For Colton’s Cabernet, the vintage shows beautiful balance: dark fruit, lifted floral notes, savory spice, and polished tannins. This is a vintage with warmth and charm, expressive, approachable, and layered with enough structure to make it distinctly Cabernet.

Vineyard Notes

Colton’s Cabernet is sourced from Lucky 8 Vineyard, a site that brings a unique personality to the McGrail Cabernet program. The vineyard’s warm days encourage ripe black-fruit development, while the cooler evening influence helps preserve acidity and freshness. Lucky 8 Cabernet often shows a vibrant, fruit-forward profile with spice, structure, and a softer approachability that makes it distinct from the estate Cabernet bottlings.

Winemaker Notes

The 2024 Colton’s Cabernet was crafted to highlight the expressive fruit and polished structure of Lucky 8 Vineyard. Oak aging adds notes of vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, black tea, and sandalwood, while allowing the dark fruit to remain the focus. This wine is designed to feel smooth, generous, and flavorful, with enough depth for richer foods and enough softness to enjoy now.

The Wine

The 2024 Colton’s Cabernet opens with the kind of lush, fruit-forward character that makes Cabernet so easy to love. Aromas of dark cherry, cassis, blackberries, and black currants rise from the glass, followed by violets, lavender flowers, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, orange peel, and a soft touch of sandalwood. Subtle notes of thyme, bay leaf, Herbs de Provence, and black tea add depth without taking away from the wine’s rich, generous fruit.

On the palate, this Cabernet is velvety, smooth, and full of dark-fruit flavor. Dark cherry, blackberry, cassis, and vanilla unfold in soft, polished layers, while good acidity keeps the wine balanced and fresh. The finish is long, lush, and driven by ripe black fruit, warm spice, and a hint of chocolate. Compared with a bigger, more commanding Cabernet, Colton’s feels polished, warm, and approachable, like a cozy dinner wine with just enough elegance to make it special.

This is a perfect fruit-forward Cabernet for pulled pork with sweet barbecue sauce, where the wine’s dark cherry, cassis, vanilla, and velvety texture complement the smoky, savory, and slightly sweet flavors of the dish.

Food Pairing

A classic hamburger with caramelized onions, sharp cheddar, or smoky bacon.  Aged gouda.  Herb-crusted tri-tip or rosemary garlic lamb chops. Flatbread pizza topped with sausage, mushrooms, caramelized onions, or roasted red peppers.