Vineyards
Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of grapes from throughout the valley’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon appellations, ranging from Calistoga in the north to the Carneros district in the south.  Sourcing fruit from multiple, diverse microclimates allows us to craft a sumptuous, elegant Cabernet Sauvignon melding the opulent black fruit character and firm tannins typical of the valley’s warmer northern microclimates with the bright fruit and crisp acidity characteristic of its cooler southern districts.  In 2007, 95% of the fruit came from our up-valley vineyards with 5% from the Carneros district.

Vintage 2007
The exemplary 2007 growing season commenced with a dry, mild winter and unusually warm spring, which prompted early budbreak and bloom.  The summer was consistently mild, which enabled our modest crop of small-clustered Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, developing rich, distinctive varietal flavors.  Warm temperatures in early September, followed by classic California Indian Summer weather, allowed us to harvest our Cabernet Sauvignon fruit at optimum maturity between September 1st and October 15th.

Winemaking
To maximize the quality of our 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, we cold-soaked each vineyard lot of grapes separately for between 36 and 48 hours to enhance extraction of color and flavor prior to fermentation.  We then fermented and aged the lots separately, tailoring tank size, yeast strain, fermentation length and temperature, and barrel type and aging to the fruit character of each lot.  Some of the wines underwent an extended maceration (the fully fermented wine remained on its skins for several weeks for greater extraction and/or to soften tannins), while others were pressed off the skins immediately.  Post-fermentation and pressing, each lot spent six months aging in French oak barrels, 50% new, prior to blending.  The blended wine then spent another 14 months in barrel prior to bottling in July, 2009.  

Tasting Notes
Our 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon grabs the taster’s attention immediately with enticingly fresh, fruit-forward aromas of black currant, blackberry and boysenberry, joined by seductive chocolate and roast coffee scents.  Beautifully structured on the palate, it boasts intense, concentrated, dark berry and cassis flavors balanced by supple, well-knit tannins and a long, flavorful finish with fine acidity and savory mocha tones.  Delightful to drink now, this rich, elegant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will blossom fully with another 5 to 7 years of bottle age.