Nose

Generous aromatics with a savory variety of, cola, walnut, earth, floral
and fennel notes.

Palate

Robust flavors framed by “grippy” tannins. The
tannins stay present on a long, balanced finished. Aaron Pott often uses
French phrases when describing subtle nuances in wine – he called the
tannins on the finish, “enrober,” meaning tannins-in-robes…

Growing Conditions

Estate vineyard on Napa Valley floor on Pratt Avenue in the St. Helena
AVA. Sympa is grown on the south parcel, “Block 1,” on a ribbon of
gravel that is an ancient river bed with deep, light soils that stress the
vines into low fruit production. The vines are cane pruned and handtended
to yield two clusters per shoot. The parcel yields two tons per
acre. Cover crops are primarily legumes. Irrigation is light and
determined by monitoring vine sap flow throughout the season. The See
clone of Cabernet Sauvignon planted here is from Joseph Phelps’ Backus
Vineyard bud wood.

Bottling

Bottled August, 2015.

Winemaking

Hand-picked fruit, double sorted to berry level
Cold soak before fermentation, 5 days
D254 yeast fermentation
14 days extended maceration
Racked twice

Aging

22 months in French Oak barrels: Bossuet, Darnajou, Orion.