"Of course, I remember making the 2012 CADE Estate Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. I was so nervous, excited, exhausted, and all around scared because I just didn’t want to screw it up. I just remember telling myself that I needed to trust my palate and that people like what I like, in terms of wine, that is. I can’t say that I have changed that approach over the years. I still get nervous around harvest. I still tell myself that I have a good palate and that what I think tastes good, others will find it tastes good too. But I know a little bit more now. I know more about growing grapes on Howell Mountain. I know more about the chemistry of Howell Mountain grapes and, therefore, how to manage them to make great wine."
In Conversation With Winemaker Danielle Cyrot
Do you remember your first CADE Estate vintage? What stands out, and how has your approach evolved?
Can you share a moment in your career when you felt truly empowered or a time when you took a stand for something you believed in?
"I feel empowered every time we put a blend together. It may sound kind of silly, but really, once you blend two wines together, you can’t take them apart. That’s it. It’s final. No going back. When we blend the CADE Reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, I always feel like that is the best wine I could put together. It is my sense of empowerment because the buck stops with me. If you don’t like the wine, then you can only blame me. I made all the decisions regarding the wine, when to pick, what barrels to use, what yeast was used, etc. That wine is truly a reflection of my palate. And what I like in a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. It gives me a lot of pride when other people enjoy the wine I make."
If you could open a bottle of CADE Estate Cabernet Sauvignon with any two women, who would they be and what would you want to talk about?
"I would want to talk to Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, the grand dame of Champagne, who is credited with creating the first known vintage champagne in 1810 and inventing the riddling table process to clarify champagne in 1816. In 1818, she invented the first known blended rosé champagne by blending still red and white wines. I would love to talk to her about her process of inventing!
Secondly, I would talk to Susan B. Anthony, a pioneer in the women’s suffrage movement. Her work helped pave the way for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. She probably didn’t drink alcohol in her day, but maybe she would be open to trying a wine made by a woman."
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