Wine Notes
Vintage:
2018
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 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 high rainfall year, the crop was slightly heavier, yielding just over 2 tons and harvest was October 28th; 3 weeks later than 2017. The Brix was 27.6° and acid was 6.3 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 33% new and 67% 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 toast level. These factors allowed the oak to seamlessly integrate with the wine giving a supportive background structure with fine-grain tannins.