This bottle of quality Knipser 2008 Cuvée X is a blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc grapes. These grapes were grown in our best, limestone-rich vineyards. In order to achieve a more concentrated and intense wine, we decreased our grape yield significantly through short pruning and green harvesting in the summer. The grapes were handpicked in late October, and only the fully mature and perfectly ripe grapes were selected to go into this wine. The grapes were destemmed and, according to traditional practice, left to ferment in the mash for several weeks. Then, following the malolactic fermentation, the wine matured in new French-oak barrels for 24 weeks. This fully fermented dry red wine pairs great with seared or stewed lamb, beef or wild games. The Eichelmann 2012 press review gave 91 points to this wine and remarked, “wonderfully intense, ripe dark-colored berries, complexly aromatic, mildly flinty and spicy; wonderfully rich in ripe fruit flavors, complex, elegant, dark chocolate, delicate spices, plum, delicate yet firmly integrated tannins.”