Palate
Made from our finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, our 2013 Platinum is our purest, most intense and most seductively smooth red wine. Thoughtful decision making, from vineyard sourcing through winemaking, is reflected in the poise and polish of this incredibly dark and decadent wine. The grapes, picked at their peak, deliver deep layers of spiced plum, black cherry, blueberry and graphite, structured by mature tannins. Hints of cocoa and spice from French oak barrels cradle the intense fruit and grace the long finish. For all its power, the palate remains velvety and plush, a signature of this distinguished wine.
Growing Conditions
An ideal vintage, 2013 began early and progressed with consistent, even temperatures throughout the summer. Grapes were harvested at the peak of ripeness, displaying concentrated flavors and bold varietal character.
Our Platinum wine is made from our very best lots of our very best vineyards in the vintage. With our long history in the Napa Valley, we have several sites from which to choose and we selected grapes based on their ripe, polished tannins and intense fruit expression. In 2013, this included a variety of sites, ranging from Yountville, St. Helena, Wooden Valley, Rutherford and Diamond Mountain. The unique microclimates and soil compositions of these individual sites lend distinct personalities for balance and texture in the overall wine.
Winemaking
“No winemaking tricks can replace vineyard power,” Senior Winemaker Harry Hansen explains when describing his process at the winery. “Our selection of the finest, ripest grapes is what makes this wine. My job is to guide that inherent style into the bottle.” This began with hand picking and hand sorting the clusters, followed by careful selection of whole berries. The grapes were fermented in small lots, primarily in stainless steel, to capture the inherent flavors in the fruit and maintain freshness, and color.
Aging
We aged the wine for 20 months in French oak barrels, 66 percent new, to impart a gentle dusting of spices.
