"Sage, rosemary, menthol, dark plums, licorice and sweet tobacco meld together in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Annum. Plush, round and inviting, the 2010 appears to have a very bright future ahead of it. The balance of sweet, layered fruit and the structure of the year is simply dazzling. I have always adored David Ramey's 2010 Cabernets. Today, they are dazzling."

– Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2014

In 2010, an early season frost damaged the young shoots, resulting in our smallest production ever.  This release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, from the following appellations:  Oakville, 30%; Rutherford, 22%; Diamond Mountain, 20%; Yountville, 15%; St. Helena, 9%; and Mt. Veeder, 4%., which we harvested on October 9th through November 4th, 2010.

Aging on the fine lees incorporates the oak so that the two years our 2010 Annum spent in 100% new French oak barrels is barely noticeable. As with all of our wines, it went through native yeast and malolactic fermentations. This wine combines the harmony produced by traditional Bordelaise winemaking techniques with the voluptuousness of a great Napa Valley vintage. This wine was lightly fined with egg whites and bottled without filtration in February 2013.

The fifth vintage of this blend–it represents our version of a “winemaker’s wine.”  Having spent so much time working in Bordeaux and visiting Burgundy, the Loire and the Rhone, I’m deeply steeped in French winemaking tradition, including their orientation toward the growing site or region.  Thus, all our wines are either vineyard designates or regional blends.  While Annum is an appellation wine, it is the one blend we make each year that allows us to select from a range of vineyards to make the best blend possible that vintage.