VINEYARD

Our Mount Veeder property was first purchased and planted to Champagne varietals in the early 1970s. Over the last 20 years, the majority of the property has been replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is situated in the Mayacamas Mountains on the Western edge of the Napa Valley on steep southern aspects at altitudes between 750 and 1250 feet. Cooled both by the altitude and proximity to the San Pablo Bay, the area boasts the longest growing season of all the Napa Valley AVAs. The vineyard’s well-drained, sedimentary soils produce vibrant and mineral-driven Cabernet Sauvignon, characterized by intense black currant notes and firm, sandy graphite structures.

VINTAGE CONDITIONS

A wet and stormy February was followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Albeit later than usual, bud break and flowering occurred under ideal weather conditions, creating plentiful and even fruit set. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created near-ideal conditions to allow fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels. We finished harvesting our last block of Cabernet Sauvignon of November 1st.

VINIFICATION

Preceding any fermentation, a rigorous selection process of bunch sorting by hand, destemming, and subsequent optical sorting occur to make sure that we select only berries of optimal ripeness. This single vineyard wine features fruit from blocks 203, 205, and 212 with an average vine age of 18 years. Each block was vinified separately in small batches to enhance skin contact and gently extract the phenolics. After pressing, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in French-oak barrels and then ages for 18 months, 65% new oak, before being bottled unfiltered.