 2005
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
(Retail Price $30.00)
Appellation:
Napa
Valley
Varietal Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot,
3% Cabernet Franc.
Soil: Volcanic soils, strong gravel outcroppings with 20% Serpentine soil and shale deposits. Elevation: 1400 feet.
Harvest: Manually harvested. Picked at optimum ripeness.
Technique: Destemmed and gently crushed into stainless fermentation tanks. Inoculated with Pasteur Red yeast with fermentation completing in 12 days. Pumped over twice daily, the wine was then held on the skins for an additional 10 days. Gently pressed in a bladder press, then racked off to barrel. Wine was racked quarterly to allow for natural clarification.
Aging: Aged in 50% new oak barrels for 20 months. 55% French, 30% Hungarian, 5% American.
Tasting Notes: Dark and slightly brooding with aromas of dark chocolate, cassus and rose hip. Full and juicy in the mouth, flavors of currants and black plumand tea are supported by ripe tannins. Black fruit and toasty oak combine to form the lingering finish.
Production: 6160 Cases
Winemaker: Bill Parker
Alcohol: 14.4%
 90 Points
"Very careful construction, fine fruity focus, a dash of briary spice and generous dollop of very sweet oak make for a most successful Cabernet recipe here. As good as its many parts are, it is in the way they are assembled that lifts the wine into high company, there are few among its many noteworthy cousins that deliver this kind of richness, polish and depth..."
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