The 2023 Tenor Scarline Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep dive into one of the Royal Slope’s most compelling vineyard sites. Inky, concentrated, and unapologetically dark, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon shows a decidedly savory side of the variety, layering dark fruit with tilled earth, five-spice, cured meat, and pipe tobacco. It’s a wine with plenty to say, and it doesn’t say it quietly.
After four vintages that each brought their own brand of drama, 2023 was a welcome return to normal. Typical yields. Typical timing. Typical harvest dates. Boring? Maybe. We loved every minute of it. A slow start to spring was quickly erased by warm weather in May, followed by a steady summer and a cooler finish that gave the fruit time to develop flavor and tannin without racing toward the finish line. For us in the cellar, the consistency was a gift—great wine was simply easier to make.
Scarline Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested in October with the concentration, physiological maturity, and freshness we were looking for. The wine was fermented entirely in oak barrels for 14 days, then left on the skins for a total of 30 days of extended maceration, building serious depth, texture, and structure.
Following fermentation, the wine spent 23 months aging entirely in oak barrels, giving all that power time to settle into a more polished frame. The result is Cabernet with serious weight and intensity, balanced by the finesse that keeps you coming back to the glass.
Bottled on September 8, 2025, just 70 cases were produced. Dark, savory, layered, and unmistakably Scarline—the Royal Slope has a darker side.
