This wine greets with aromas of pencil shavings and cola. One the palate, flavors of cherry, sweet vanilla cream and strawberry dance and mingle. An elongated finish is completed by dusty tannins and toasted nuts. This wine drinks beautifully now and will be delightful for years.
The fruit was harvested from September 15th to October 15th. The 2018 growing season started with significantly higher than average frost hours (a measurement of hours below 36 F), which led to a late bud break. The growing season also stood out in terms of GDD (growing degree days), with 14% fewer on average than 2017. The mild conditions and lack of extreme heat spikes combined to create a high quality fruit year.
We sourced Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from stellar vineyards nestled in three exceptional Napa Valley appellations. A blend of Stags Leap District, Oakville and Rutherford fruit, this lively, fruit-driven red attests to the distinctive balance and sense of place achieved through three distinctive yet complementary appellations. The varietals are Bordeaux in heritage but the wine is decidedly Napa Valley, fully expressing a one-of-a-kind region.
The grapes were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted in the vineyard, then brought to the cellar and destemmed. The grapes received a cold soak, followed by fermentation at a high temperature to ensure maximum extraction was achieved. The wine was racked to 30 percent new American oak barrels, where it was aged for 18 months prior to bottling.
