Growing Conditions
Our seventh vintage of this appellation Cabernet is blended from a combination of hillside and valley floor vineyards. Our style combines the harmony produced by traditional Bordelaise winemaking techniques with the voluptuousness gained from California’s weather, albeit a cooler, more elegant vintage.
The growing season was cool and wet through spring. Bud break was delayed by 1-2 weeks
in most of our vineyards. The weather stayed cool through fruit set, and into harvest.
Towards the end of the growing season, the days remained cool but the nights were much
warmer than normal, which accelerated ripening. Due to the warmer nights and two
incoming rain storms, our last vineyards were harvested on October 20th. Overall, the cool
weather resulted in slower ripening. We had phenolic maturity without sugar accumulation
so the 2011's are lower in alcohol. They are elegant expressions of a cool vintage.
Appellation: Napa Valley
- 56% St. Helena, 17% Napa Valley, 13% Mt. Veeder, 12% Rutherford, 2% Oakville
Winemaking
Fermented with native yeasts and bacteria
Aging
The wine rested sur lies to incorporate the oak so that the 18 months spent in 55% new
barrels (a mixture of three-year air dried French and American) is barely noticeable. Due to
the cooler vintage, we left this wine in barrel less than our normal 24 to 26 months. Nonfiltered.