The Puzzle 2018
Deep ruby color with a purple hue. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf and sage mingle with iodine and oyster shell characteristics, creating an extremely complex and pleasant bouquet. Wonderful now, but can age for another two decades.
95 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING
92+ POINTS JEB DUNNUCK
The Puzzle 2018
Deep ruby color with a purple hue. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf and sage mingle with iodine and oyster shell characteristics, creating an extremely complex and pleasant bouquet. Wonderful now, but can age for another two decades.
95 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING
92+ POINTS JEB DUNNUCK
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Attributes
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Collections
Wine
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Product Weight (Lbs)
3
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Style
Red
Description
Deep ruby color with a purple hue. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf and sage mingle with iodine and oyster shell characteristics, creating an extremely complex and pleasant bouquet. Wonderful now, but can age for another two decades.
95 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING
92+ POINTS JEB DUNNUCK
Details
VINEYARD
A hallmark of our winery for 20 years, The Puzzle is a red blend produced with fruit exclusively sourced from our own Napa Valley hillside vineyards, featuring classic Bordeaux varieties. Historically sourced from our Spring Mountain Vineyard we now experiment with different varieties, styles, and techniques every year to ensure each vintage of Puzzle boasts a unique personality and exceptional drinkability. Since 2017, we have been utilizing small percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Veeder and Yountville owned vineyards to the blend, which helped further develop the wine’s character and complexity.
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
The 2018 vintage is one to remember. The beginning of the year, particularly February, saw abundant rainfall which moistened the soil and prompted a great start to the vegetative cycle. During spring, the presence of bright daily sunlight without high temperature peaks supported great canopy development. Flowering and fruit set were excellent, though it occurred slightly later than usual due to the mild temperatures. Summer finished the growing season on a high note, boasting plenty of sunlight and mild temperatures from July through October. Phenolic and aromatic ripeness was steady and excellent while sugar accumulation was moderate. The seasonal conditions allowed us to push ripeness longer without exceeding in sugar content, factors that make the wines from this vintage refined, complex and fresh. We started picking Chardonnay September 10th and finished with Cabernet Sauvignon on November 1st.
VINIFICATION
The 2018 The Puzzle is a blend of Bordeaux varieties sourced exclusively from 43 individual parcels—33 from Spring Mountain, 5 from Yountville, and 5 from Mount Veeder. Once harvested,the bunches were hand sorted, destemmed, and run through our optical sorter, so we could assess each individual berry. The must was fermented in separate lots and underwent malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, 40% new, before aging for 12 months. The wine is barrel-aged for 8 more months after blending, and bottled unfiltered.