2008 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon Features Artist Robin F. Williams' Charismatic And Compelling "Smile"

KENWOOD (SONOMA VALLEY), Calif., Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "Smile", by accomplished artist Robin F. Williams, featured on the just-released 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon, ranks among the most charismatic and compelling images in the Artist Series' 34-year history. Charismatic and compelling also describe the wine in the bottle; the 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon's sumptuous fruit, extraordinary complexity and polished style are impossible to resist.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120920/SF76622)

Kenwood Vineyards created the Artist Series in 1975 with a simple idea – handcraft the finest possible Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and bottle each vintage with a unique label featuring a work of fine art. The 1975 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon showcased a drawing produced expressly for the label by famed poster artist David Lance Goines, and subsequent Artist Series vintages have featured works by Joan Miro, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Sam Francis, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Klee, Wayne Thiebaud and Shepard Fairey.

For this vintage, the 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon label features "Smile", an exuberant work created by artist Robin F. Williams specifically for Kenwood. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Williams earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2006 before moving to New York City to pursue her fine art career. Her works have been featured in exhibitions in New York, Rhode Island and California, and in 2011 she was awarded a fellowship at the MacDowell Colony. Her visceral, large-scale works conjure their subjects' inner lives through powerful imagery, fauvist hues and subtle brushwork. 

Kenwood Vineyards blends its finest vineyard lots to create the Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon. In the small but superb 2008 vintage, 66% of the lots came from Knights Valley, the Sonoma County appellation just northwest of Napa Valley, and the remaining 34% came from Sonoma Valley, Kenwood Vineyards' home appellation. After fermentation and gentle pressing, the young wines were moved into small oak barrels – 90% French and 10% American – to age for 27 months. Individual barrels then were selected for inclusion in the 2008 Artist Series. The generous fruit and polished, complex style the Cabernet Sauvignon lots achieved in this vintage enabled the blend to be exclusively Cabernet Sauvignon – no other grape varieties were needed. Following bottling, the 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon was cellared at the winery for 18 months prior to release.

The 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon immediately woos the senses with its deep color and forward raspberry, plum and blueberry aromas that reveal harmonious nutmeg, cedar and tobacco accents over time. Raspberry and black cherry highlight the mouthfilling flavors, with subtle spice, cedar, smoke and mint notes contributing intriguing complexity. The appealing palate shows outstanding weight and uncommon finesse, as well as bright acidity that carries through the lingering finish. While drinking beautifully now, this seductive Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon promises additional evolution with short to medium-term cellaring.

Each vintage of the Artist Series has become a true collectible and the 2008 Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon is certain to become one as well. Just 1,454 cases were produced. It is available in selected markets nationally at a suggested retail of $60.

Established in 1970 in the Sonoma Valley, Kenwood Vineyards produces premium wines that showcase the world-class quality and character of Sonoma County vineyards.

Discover the art – savor the wine.

SOURCE Kenwood Vineyards