2017 Star Lane Vineyard Astral Cabernet Sauvignon

About 2017 Star Lane Vineyard Astral Cabernet Sauvignon:

The flagship wine of the estate, Astral is produced from select blocks of own-rooted Cabernet at Star Lane Vineyard. Less than four hundred cases are produced each vintage. The Dierberg family patiently ages the Astral wines within the subterranean caves at the winery and releases an allocation at the beginning of optimal maturity, which is often more than six to eight years following the harvest. Cellar life: 15-20 years.

Tasting Notes:

May be the most fruit forward and open Cabernet Sauvignon since the 2012. The wine shows the exposure to a warmer ripening season with bright red fruits and a bit more forward than the usual blueberry notes of previous vintages. All of this is achieved without compromising the “Star Lane-ness” cool coastal sage notes that add complexity to the wine. The texture is sneaky: initial softness gives way to ample (but not overwhelming) tannin on the 2nd and 3rd sip.

Barrel Selection:

65% New French for 22 months

Growing Notes:

It all starts in the vineyard and continues with meticulous care in the cellar. The focus is always on producing Excellent California Cabernet for generations to come.

Star Lane Vineyard & Winery is a private family estate located in Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, approximately 45-minutes north of downtown Santa Barbara and in the serene foothills of the San Rafael Mountain range outside of the town of Santa Ynez.

The first wet winter in years produced excellent early canopy growth. However late winter and early spring were warm and dry, initiating a 5th consecutive early bud break. With limited rainfall after February, vine vigor remained in check as fruit set, an excellent condition for Bordelaise varietals. Overall the season was consistent with long term historical average temperatures right up until harvest. Heat in early September pushed parts of the vineyard along but generally temperatures were even and avoided extremes. This permitted an even and consistent approach to harvest and unveiled wines with terrific depth. Even with a wet winter, yields were quite low; wines quite concentrated and expressive.

Harvest Dates: September – October 2017

Winemaking Notes:

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Astral). 2017 was an excellent growing season with moderate temperatures and healthy winter rain. However, the vintage will likely be remembered for its heat during harvest, which impacted the coastal vineyards more than Star Lane. The fruit from Star Lane did see more heat than recent vintages and early impressions suggested fruit would be forward. As a result the winemaker was careful with how tannin developed in the wine, and used a bit less new oak.

About The Winery:

Second generation family proprietors and siblings Michael Dierberg and Ellen Dierberg Milne consider themselves stewards of Star Lane Vineyard, which was planted in 1998 by their parents Jim and Mary Dierberg. Star Lane was planted eleven years before Happy Canyon would be recognized as an American Viticulture Area and is now considered one of the finest Cabernet vineyards in the world. Before taking the helm at Star Lane Vineyard, winemaker Tyler Thomas apprenticed with Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fame at the renowned HdV project in Napa. Tyler brings a minimalist approach to crafting wines of great depth from the estate vineyard, leading the wines to garner substantial attention from critics and collectors.

In 2013, Tyler Thomas made the decision to move from northern California to Santa Barbara to work on the cultivation of the Dierberg family estate. The Dierbergs had planted the now famous Star Lane Vineyard fifteen years earlier, and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara had only been recognized as an AVA four years earlier. Drum Canyon Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills was not yet understood as the nexus of the family’s estate in the western segment, and Tyler would help to guide it there. We caught up with him to reflect on that ten year anniversary and ask about the importance of being estate.