It’s one of our country’s most popular wines. Dry, fruity, bold. Cabernet is approachable, versatile and well-loved by red and white drinkers alike.

As our winemaker, Pat Johnson, says, “Cabernet is king.” And he would know. He’s been making award-winning cabernets for 25 years right here in Texas and just finished bottling Singing Water Vineyard’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, our first 100% cabernet.

We knew if we were going to make a cabernet, we were going to do it right. So Pat and owner Andy Ivankovich went straight to the king of cabernet country: the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, California.

The Alexander Valley is ideal for growing cabernet grapes because of its warmer climate. According to Sonoma.com, “The hot, dry summers, early morning fog, and gravelly, well-draining soils lead to a slow and long ripening of the grapes – just the way cabernet growers like it.”

After the wine arrived at Singing Water, Pat took things a step farther. He purchased new oak barrels from Canton Cooperage, who handcraft some of the best oak barrels in the country. Pat says he chose to use new barrels because, “I wanted the cabernet and the barrel itself to do the talking and not all the other wines that have been in the barrel.”

For the next year, Pat used a master blending technique of aging a portion of the wine under heavy oak and combining it with the same wine that had slightly aged. The wine then spent eight months in neutral aging to achieve what we feel is the best cabernet in Texas.

As owner Andy Ivankovich explains, “We’ve intended this wine to be a statement of quality and a testament to the many years of craftsmanship and dedication of winemaking by Pat to achieve a cabernet worthy of the Singing Water brand. We think you’ll agree!”

Perfectly aged, our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is ready to share with our guests and we can’t wait for you to try it. You can expect a flavor profile of fruit and oat characteristics and a taste and smoothness that will truly compete with the best—a wine that is, as Pat says, “really exceptional.”

Come by this weekend and pick up a bottle, or keep an eye on our online store. The cab will be available for purchase there soon.