2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5L

NAPA VALLEY
$115.00 per bottle  
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This beautifully blended 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is exquisitely balanced with excellent fruit concentration. On the nose, this wine offers fresh blackberries, baked berry pie, pencil shavings, toasted brioche, and a touch of licorice. The palate offers youthful, concentrated tannins, red raspberry coulis, dried black cherries, dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, and a touch of cedar with a big finish that lingers. This offering is enjoyable today but will also evolve with cellar aging through 2035.

WINEMAKER NOTES

Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45˚F for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma, and flavor extraction. After inoculation with a select yeast, the grape must (juice, skins, and seeds) fermented at 82˚F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 40% new French oak and 60% neutral oak for 20 months before bottling. The blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot.  At bottling, this wine and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

THE VINTAGE

The 2018 vintage was a near perfect growing season!  Bud break began in late March to early April, leading to a Spring that was mild and dry.  Flowering proved to be long and gave way to a healthy set of uniform grape clusters.  Summer was also quite warm and long, leading to a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. Throughout the vineyard growing season, there were no heat spikes and the temperatures were steady and even-keel.  The consistent summer weather encouraged our Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes to ripen in late mid-September to late October when they were in perfect balance. The fruit is from our Estate vineyards in Rutherford, St. Helena, and the Oak Knoll District appellations.

WINE FACTS

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon   

Appellation: Napa Valley   

Alcohol: 14.8% 

Blend: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot