Cenyth Launches With Inaugural 2009 Vintage
10 Dec 2013 --- Cenyth is a wine rooted in Sonoma County that skillfully blends Bordeaux-style technique with Sonoma County terroir. The inaugural 2009 vintage debuts as an apprenticeship between world-renowned winemaker Pierre Seillan of Vérité, Château Lassègue, Arcanum and Anakota, and his daughter, Hélène.
The wine represents Hélène's mentorship with her father, taking the knowledge and techniques she has learned over the past several years working alongside him. The 2009 vintage is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 7% Malbec, sourced from estate vineyards in Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill.
Hélène began her training in the vineyards of Bordeaux as assistant winemaker to her father. Hélène was drawn to the vineyards of Sonoma County to begin her journey as winemaker for Cenyth. "For me, winemaking is an art and Cenyth is my artistic expression of Sonoma County," said Hélène Seillan. "This place holds a very special place in my heart, and for my first wine, I wanted something that wasn't just about my style, but also where my passion for wine began. For Cenyth, I am taking what my father has taught me and applying his philosophy, while still inserting my own signature. It will be exciting to have people taste each vintage, and see the evolution of my style show through."
Cenyth initially began as a project conceptualized by Hélène and Julia Jackson, daughter of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke. The artwork for Cenyth was created by Julia, who painted the abstract piece for the front and back labels. "The canvas of Cenyth uses four colors that I think best represent Sonoma County, blue for the Pacific Ocean, yellow for the mustard flowers, gray for the fog and green for the vineyards," said Julia Jackson. The two women worked together to create a wine that would unite their artistic representation of the place they call home. "We are both artists, using different mediums to create our expression of Sonoma County in the bottle and on a canvas."
