Palate
Slow to come up at first in the fermenter, the tannins gradually emerged
with unmistakable quality. No more or less present than in previous vintages,
the tannins in the 2012 are simply outstanding. All the punch and power is there,
with no sense that it will take time to smooth out. The wine is round, full, rich
and accessible—more complete than it has ever been at release.
With flavors of ink-black fruit and white flower aromatics, this exemplary
vintage is drinking beautifully now and will only become more astonishing
with age.
Growing Conditions
The 2012 growing season proved an occasion for rejoicing throughout Napa
Valley. the return to normalcy after successive years of trying conditions and
weather extremes was a tremendous relief. On Pritchard Hill, the vintage was
nearly ideal from budbreak to harvest. Ample ground moisture early in the
growth cycle produced a very good set in the Melanson Vineyard. This healthy
crop load and moderate summer temperatures with no rain allowed us to hang
the fruit unperturbed until maturity.
Harvest
Capping a textbook growing season, we were graced with a long picking
window for the first time in ages, with no heat spikes or rain events to force
our hand. So we let the fruit hang. It was a luxury to have nothing more unpredictable
to worry about than the decline in acidity that sometimes comes with
a protracted hang time. We tested fruit chemistry, trusted what the vines were
showing, and let this inimitable site do its thing. The sumptuous fruit harvested
in October 2012 produced our most complete Cabernet Sauvignon from the
Melanson Vineyard to date.
Bottling
The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered on June 17, 2014.
Winemaking
Ripening proceeded so beautifully in the Melanson Vineyard in 2012 we were
careful to focus on preserving the flavor characteristics of hillside fruit. The presence
of tannins is what marks this wine as belonging to Pritchard Hill. Clones 7
and 337 were picked and fermented separately. Only natural yeasts attended each
small lot, with no inoculation for alcoholic or malolactic fermentation.
Aging
Aging: 20 months in 100% French
oak (80% new barrels)
Barrel Coopers: Darnajou, Ermitage
and Taransaud
