Napa Valley
From the Vine: Cane-pruned, 13-year old Cab Sauv field blend of Clones 4 &15 (structure & tannin) with Clone 8 (the Concannon workhorse) on AXR (Aramond x Rupestris) rootstock; a mostly dry-farmed hillside vineyard in the north east reaches of Napa County near historic Aetna Springs, handpicked in the early morning of October 31st 2019.
To the Cellar: Crushed & destemmed in advance of a 3-day cold soak to draw out phenolics and stabilize color, then batch fermented in bins with a preferred yeast strain isolated by the Institut Coopératif du Vin. Twice-daily punchdowns for a total three week maceration on the skins, completing primary fermentation before being gently drained and pressed to begin a slow native malolactic fermentation in barrel (mix of newer and neutral French oak) through the following spring.
Ageing: Aged over 36 months, with small fractions of Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot added at periodic toppings to taste.
For the Table: And taste it does!... the classic Cab qualities of capiscum & cassis, but with an added complexity of blackberry bramble after a summer rain. Its ochre evidences already-graceful aging, ready to enjoy right now but with its best years in the decade to come. From one bottle to the next, from the first sip of the glass to the last drop down the back palate, the wine seems to unfold, hinting at what's to come: maybe your grandmother's rhubarb pie, maybe your grandfather's pipe tobacco, maybe the other way around.
Cases Produced: 80
25.6 °Bx | pH 3.77 | TA 6.4 g/L | 15.3% ABV
