Purlieu WinesTo Kalon Vineyard Cabernet SauvignonPurlieu means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” Directly, it is a reference to our home base in the new Coombsville AVA, at the edge of the forest and the entire Napa Valley. Symbolically, “purlieu” refers to our approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. For us, the key to successfully walking that edge lies in maintaining balance: between innovation and tradition, confidence and restraint, depth and refreshment.
In Greek, To Kalon means “most beautiful.” Within the Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA, this vineyard is widely considered a “Grand Cru” of California. We get our fruit from Andy Beckstoffer, a legendary grower in the Napa Valley who owns a large portion of this prestigious vineyard. Our single vineyard designate will be released along with our 2011 wines under the Purlieu label.
Each individual vine’s needs are uniquely tended to in To Kalon. The soil is mostly clay loam, which drains well and stresses the vines, thereby producing smaller and more concentrated grape clusters.
The resultant wines are phenomenally rich, dense and powerful with an incredibly layered, silky texture; they are alluring in their youth yet always reward patient cellaring.