2008 Progeny Winery Special Selection Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Progeny was launched in 2006 by the husband and wife team of Betty O’Shaughnessy and Paul Woolls. O’Shaughnessy previously started an estate called O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery. Progeny is sourced from a 17-acre vineyard on Mt. Veeder, though the couple has also purchased a 265-acre former cattle ranch on Mt. Veeder which adds another 32-acres of vineyards to enterprise. Sean Capiaux is Progeny winemaker. Capiaux produces his own Pinot Noirs under the Capiaux label and has worked for Peter Michael, Jordan and Pine Ridge. Progeny’s flagship wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon, but it also makes red and white Rhone blends. Wines are generally available only through a mailing list.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.