2016 La Reina, Estate Bottled

Wine Notes

Calafia 2016 La ReinaVintage:
2016

Appellation:
St. Helena, Napa Valley

Vineyards:
The Calafia Estate Vineyard is located in the center of the St. Helena appellation on Fulton Lane between Main Street and the Napa River. The soil is Bale Loam and contains a fair amount of cobble from the Napa River, which increases our drainage. The vineyard was planted in 2000 and one block was replanted in 2004 due to the discovery of Leaf Roll II in Cabernet Clone 337. Currently the vineyard is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Malbec and 10% Petit Verdot. All of our clones are from the ENTAV certification program in France.

Vintage Notes:
The 2016 growing season was essentially uneventful, which we call “normal” unlike the 2015, 2016 and 2019 seasons. The 2016 spring was moderate, having good temperatures for bloom and set. The clusters were well filled but not over-cropped. The summer was also moderate: warm days and cool nights with no heat spikes. At veraison there was fruit thinning or “green harvest” to remove low colored clusters. The fall was also “normal” and harvest proceeded steadily. Skin and seed maturity was fully achieved. The resulting wines had great color, fruit profiles and are elegant on the palate and have fine-grain tannins for aging.

Fermentation & Aging:
The grapes were crushed on October 9th. The Brix (sugar) was 27.3º and acid was 5.7 grams/liter. The must was thoroughly sorted, removing all green “stem jacks”. Fermentation took place in an open-top tank and punched down (piégage) 3 to 4 times per day. Pressing was very gentle, using a traditional basket press. The barrel-aging regime was 40% new and 60% once filled French oak using Chateau-Ferré style barrels that are very tight grain. The staves were air dried for 30 months and received a medium plus toast level. These factors allow the oak to seamlessly integrate with the wine giving a supportive, background structure with fine grain tannins, and with toasty oak nuances in the aroma and flavor profiles.