Nose
Boysenberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream aromas are showy and laced with hints of the Calistoga terroir.
Palate
Big tannins are tightly wound upon release, vibrant acidity in this wine shows it will age a nice long time, providing you can wait! Juicy, ripe berry flavors are layered with violets, caramel and root beer notes. Power is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about the 2013 vintage. Our estate Petit is certainly anything but and will most certainly require patience to enjoy the wine she will become.
Growing Conditions
Set in a canyon surrounded by wild Bay Laurel trees, the rocky soils provide near perfect growing conditions for our for Calistoga estate grown Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Although originally planted as a blending varietal in the 80s, Petit Verdot has come on strong as a staff favorite. The clusters in the vineyard are small, true to their namesake, as is the berry size. Thus the vineyard always has produced dark, concentrated wines to enhance our blends. The Mondavi clone provides the violet aromatics and bright acidity common to the varietal. The clone 400 is more balanced and lush, but requires
patience to allow the grapes to fully mature. In 2013, the two clonal selections were co-fermented and enjoyed a long, extended maceration together. Reward is seen in dense
concentration of fruit flavors and deep inky colors.
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 verage 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
32 Days Long Skin Contact 100% Stainless Steel Fermentation
Aging
21½ Months Barrel Aged 80% New French Oak
Food Pairing
A grilled rib-eye with a side of decadent blue cheese mac & cheese should provide a simply delicious pairing.
