Wine Notes
Vintage:
2018
Appellation:
Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
Vineyards:
The wine is made from two vineyard sites. The Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% from the Crouse Vineyard at about 1,000’ elevation high on Mt. Veeder. The soils are well-drained uplifted sedimentary clays that are shallow and contain shale. Owner Karen Crouse and her intrepid vineyard manager, John Derr are detailed farmers, and the results show in very flavorful grapes. Our second vineyard for the Malbec and Petit Verdot is located in mid-valley Yountville, having alluvial soils and a warmer climate than Mt. Veeder. The Malbec adds color, dense black fruit aromas with lush, round tannins. The Petit Verdot adds color, high-tone perfume aromatics and round palate texture.
Vintage Notes:
The 2018 growing season had a whopping 53” of rain, the last 3” in May, which fortunately did not decrease flowering and set. In fact, a large crop was set. Irrigation needs throughout the growing season were minimal and there were no heat spikes. Veraison was on time and harvest weather was mild with no rain. Overall, it was an excellent year.
Fermentation & Aging:
Being a heavy crop, harvest was late: October 30th for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The Brix was 27.3° and acid was 6.5 grams/liter. The grapes and must were thoroughly sorted, removing 95% of foreign material. Fermentation was in an open-top stainless tank. Both piégage and pump-over were used to re-integrate the cap. Pressing was very gentle, using a traditional basket press. The barrel-aging regime was 30% new and 70% once-filled French oak using barrels that were tight grain. The staves were air-dried for 30 months and received a medium toast level. This combination allows the oak to seamlessly integrate with the wine, giving a supportive background structure with fine-grain tannins, along with toasty oak nuances in the aromatics and flavor profiles.