Nose

Blackberry, blueberry

Palate

blackberry, blueberry and plum character accented with hints of caramel, milk chocolate and anis. A unique creamy
richness on the palate evokes berry pies

Growing Conditions

This is a single-vineyard wine sourced from our 14-acre estate in the renowned Oakville region of Napa Valley. The
vineyard lies on the valley floor where it enjoys cool morning fog and the riparian influence of nearby Conn Creek. A
gravelly streak runs through our property, giving us a diverse mix of gravelly and clay loam soils. The vines are dryfarmed
for the first part of the growing season and then drip-irrigated following veraison. We manage our cordontrained
vines block by block, and harvest every row at peak ripeness.

Harvest

The 2008 growing season in Napa Valley experienced a hard frost in April that led to uneven berry set throughout the
region. Fortunately, our low-lying estate vineyard in Oakville escaped the frost damage and our grapes started off on
good footing. This meant that the rest of the vintage was also less problematic for us than for some of our neighbors.
We are grateful for a slightly smaller crop of high quality Cabernet Sauvignon that developed evenly and was harvested
at peak ripeness

Bottling

Bottle aged 1 ½ years prior to release

Winemaking

After we crushed and de-stemmed the fruit, we fermented it in stainless steel tanks and pressed the juice from its skins
with a traditional basket press. The wine completed malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels (100% new), where it
aged for 24 months, softening tannins and developing rich complexity. After bottling with minimal filtration, the wine
was allowed to mature in bottle for another year and a half prior to release. The wine should continue to age well for
some time, given its firm tannin structure. Gentle crushing and destemming
Fermentation until dry in stainless steel tanks
100% malolactic fermentation in-barrel for roundness on palate

Aging

Barrel-aged 24 months in new French oak

Food Pairing

rack of lamb, roasted vegetables, or hearty beef stew