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Magnolia is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot sourced from the Millen Vineyard and Pyaleh Vineyard on the cool, Sonoma side of the Los Carneros AVA. These vineyards are farmed by Sonoe’s former Davis classmates, who practice a sustainable form of viticulture. They don’t till the land – in order to prevent run-off into streams– use pesticides or spray sulphur on the fruit. According to Sonoe, the blend “shows the potential of these Bordeaux varieties grown in a cool climate in California. The wine exhibits pure aroma and flavor of the varieties with refined acid and low alcohol unlike counterparts of Bordeaux varieties grown in hot climates.” Red fruit flavors, a hint of bell pepper and fine tannins recall high-toned Cabernet Franc from a cool climate such as Chinon in the Loire Valley.
Sonoe Hirabayashi grew up on an apple farm in the foothills of the Northern Alps of Japan, yet she pursued a very American dream in working her way toward founding Six Cloves, her own California wine making and consulting business. After starting out working in New York in international trade and finance, Hirabayashi got bitten by the wine bug and left the east coast to study viticulture and enology at UC Davis. As her studies wound up, she began several years of internships, seasonal and full-time positions that included stints at Kusuda in New Zealand; Montsecano in Chile; and Gary Farrell, Littorai, Dehlinger, DRNK, and Sebastiani in Sonoma County. These experiences gave her the expertise as well as the confidence to conceive of a wine business with a Japan focus. Six Cloves provides consulting on exporting California wine to the Japanese market. Hirabayashi-san is also making wine she believes will appeal to Japanese consumers and match the delicacy of Japanese cuisine.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | Los Carneros |
| Winery | Six Cloves |
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Color | Red |
| Varietal(s) | 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot |
| Closure | Diam |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.1 x 29.5 |
| Case Size | 33.0 x 25.0 x 31.0 |
| Alcohol | 13.3% |
| Product Code | SX19RED |
| UPC | NONE |
The wine starts with bright purple garnet color and a fresh, almost crunchy, nose of fresh cherry with notes of herbs and wet stone. A juicy entry follows with darker fruit and plenty of structure from acidity and light tannins. Creaminess evolves on the mid-palate with notes of blueberry pie and spices lingering on the finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were fermented separately with low levels of sulphur. The wine aged in 1 to 3-year-old neutral French oak barrels for 9 months and was blended before the bottling without fining and filtration.