A better world needs better wine. That’s why Craig & Karen Senders founded Senders Wines. After years of making wine and working on international surgical outreach, Craig & Karen needed to do more. They now harness artisan winemaking to fund outreaches they and others from around the world work on to repair cleft lips and palates.
As owner & winemaker of Senders Wines, Craig is able to maintain a high standard of quality in each, small-batch release. Small releases mean a high attention to details and greater quality. Their personal touch permeates every aspect of the winery from the hand-crafted wines to the Texas drawl you’ll hear on the phone.
Changing the World One Face at a Time
Dr. Craig Senders has dedicated much of his professional career to helping children with facial birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate. He regularly participates in surgical outreaches to help these children and has introduced many young surgeons to the rewards of giving back.
2005 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
This wine is a mixture of mostly Rutherford Cab with a touch of Stags Leap and Oakville fruit. This combination has flavors of ripe cherry and dark plum aromas blended with a sweet spicy mocha. This wine was aged in new French oak barrels for twenty two months which helps bring smoothness of the tannins and the marriage of the fruit. It feels like sate in the mouth with a fine structure of velvety tannins.
2006 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from prestigious Oakville grapes near the ideal To Kalon and Martha’s Vineyards. The dark ruby red wine has aromas of black cherry and cassis. The round rich body coats the entire palate with ripe berry flavors mixed with smooth tannins. The finish blends the rich fruit with lingering vanilla oak. It has a luscious chocolaty ripe berry lip smacking finish.
I have a great relationship with some of the best growers in Napa. They trust me to make the best product from their fruit and since Senders Wines makes very small allotments of our vintages, we get to pick from specific rows in the vineyard. This wine showcases dark cherry fruit accompanied by tones of mocha and caramel on the finish. We love to pair this Cab with French Onion Soup Au Gratin. The sweetness of the caramelized onions along with the creamy gruyere cheese is a delicious compliment with the Cab.
2007 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon showcases the unique personalities of a few appellations in the Napa Valley that have consistently produced superior Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The inviting aromas of sun kissed blackberry, violet and fragrant dark plum and spice entices the nose, then rich flavors expand across the palate, revealing deep black cherry and plum with a nuance of chocolate nibs. The smooth, velvety tannins enhance the wines special silky texture. The flavors culminate in a warm, dark fruit and caramel finish
2005 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
2006 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
2007 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
2005 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
2006 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
2007 Senders Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 750ml
As owner & winemaker of Senders Wines, Craig is able to maintain a high standard of quality in each, small-batch release. Small releases mean a high attention to details and greater quality. Their personal touch permeates every aspect of the winery from the hand-crafted wines to the Texas drawl you’ll hear on the phone.
The Wine: Winemaking refers to the process of making wine but is a progressive verb because, unlike most industries, it is a process that never stops; our wines are built to impress upon release and age to a smooth complexity of layering flavors. The wines reflect the terroir of California with special effort made to pick the fruit when the flavor is robust but not overripe. Beginning in the Harvest season, we meticulously taste and handpick our grapes when they reach the desired maturity. Our grapes are handpicked into half ton bins, gently destemmed, and crushed into small fermentation bins at a small custom crush facility in southern Napa Valley.
Rather than pumping over, the cap is punched down several times daily intensifying fruit flavors and decreasing harsh tannins. After fermentation the wine is pressed into small French oak barrels for completion of secondary fermentation. The wines are carefully watched while they barrel age allowing the flavors from the fruit, tannin, oak and acid to blend together and develop additional complexity. Typically, we bottle the Pinot Noir after 10-11 months in the barrel and the Cabernet Sauvignon after 22-23 months of barrel aging- another process heavily dependent on Craig’s expert vigilance. Our detailed approach balances fruit, acid and tannins without an overabundance of alcohol leaving a wine that can be enjoyed in this decade or the next.
The Winemaker: As we push further into the 21st century, few frontiers are left to us. On the cutting edge of science, Craig pushes the envelope in the tasting room and the operating room. Armed with an insatiable curiosity, Craig’s love of exploration is only limited by the harvest season.
For Craig, the winemaking process begins not with the soil but with the mouth. His experience as an otolaryngologist gives him not only the scientific understanding to craft amazing wines but the intimate knowledge of our flavor sensory required to bring out each wine’s qualities- reverse engineering desire into wine.
Beyond Craig’s scientific and medical background, he maintains deep relationships with growers throughout the Sonoma and Napa appellations- using grapes grown in their most ideal environments. These amazing relationships allow Craig’s wines to be as diverse as his interests: everything from Pinots on the coast to Cabernets from the valley.
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