Back in 2005 we embarked on a fairly large project - to completely revamp the Cabernet Sauvignon program at Clos Pegase Winery.  We've been making Cabernet since 1985, when the doyen of Californian winemaking Andre T. consulted for us and crafted a mighty fine wine via custom crush at Rombauer.  The winery finished construction in 1986, and everything else has been physically made there.  

The vineyard sources were varied in the early years as we purchased fruit from a number of local growers, but in the late 80's we committed to becoming an estate winery.  The land surrounding the winery was substantial, of the 50 acres, 22 were plantable, and first plantings included Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Merlot: we only put in Cabernet Sauvignon in 2000 after removing the Merlot when it succumbed to phylloxera, but we used the Franc and Petit Verdot as blending material from the outset.  We purchased the Palisades Vineyard, 42 acres northwest of the winery at the foot of Jericho Canyon, already part-planted with Cabernet Sauvignon.  The other land purchase was Mitsuko's Vineyard, 365 acres of bare land in Carneros, a marginal area for Cabernet at best, but we discovered a rocky outcrop, a soil series more commonly found on Howell Mountain, and completely different from the Haire and Diablo clays typical of the area: 11 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon went in in 1991.

Come 1994, we were producing enough of our own Cabernet Sauvignon to make an Estate Bottled wine, and the next eleven years saw us refine these plantings.