Nose
Pretty floral and red fruit aromas are layered with chocolate syrup, graham cracker and earthy, wet gravel character
Palate
A bright entry shows sour cherry, black pepper and sweet vanilla oak flavors. A quick decant will help this newly released gem play nice as your dinner date
Growing Conditions
In the heart of Napa Valley, our Yountville estate vineyard has an amazing lineage spanning over 140 years. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from that parcel are used to create this blend. Original budwood for the Cabernet Franc made its way to California in the proverbial “suitcase.” The vineyard has since been replanted with two different clones. Second generation field selections from our own estate were used in combination with a selection of wood from the very first California Cabernet Franc producer, La Jota Vineyard Co. Care is taken to maximize the filtered light available within the vine canopy during harvest. Reduction of crop load also helps ensure proper fruit maturity and dark, even color to the entire cluster. Typically known for a larger berry size, Cabernet Franc always benefits from long hang time and full flavor development.
Harvest
The 2013 growing season was perfect! Below average rainfall, early spring bud break, even fruit set and a hot summer. All of us in Napa Valley fast-tracked our summer bottlings to make room for an early harvest. Our white varietals had above average yields which slowed their arrival to the winery, while the small berry size on our red grapes had them rushing ahead of schedule. We started crushing Merlot practically from day one. Our estate Cabernet ruled the last two weeks of the vintage, enjoying extended macerations. Fast & furious was the ultimate pace of the vintage from beginning to end!
Winemaking
11 Days Skin Contact 100% Stainless Steel Fermentation
Aging
22 Months Barrel Aged 69% New French Oak
Food Pairing
Butternut squash risotto topped with thyme roasted chanterelle mushrooms.
