Classic Tier Reserve Tier
Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveNapa Valley Chardonnay Reserve
Carneros Estate Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley Pinot Noir Reserve
Carneros Estate Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
Napa Valley Tempranillo Reserve
Alexander Valley
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All the vineyards used in this wine are from well drained low vigor sites. Because these thin rocky sites drain away our spring rains so quickly the vines and their berries stop growing early in the season. Only the small berries produced from sites such as these can make wines intense enough to become our Reserve. The mountain top Atlas Peak and cool climate Coombsville and Carneros vineyards provide deep color and focused fruit while the Calistoga and Oakville blocks bring elegance and openly expressive fruit. All our vineyards require extensive hand work to manage correct shoot positioning, crop load and sun exposure. During harvest our winemaker spends 40% of his time inspecting and tasting our vineyards so that everything is handpicked at the peak of ripeness. Winemaking At the sole discretion of the winemaker's taste and experience the grapes from vineyard blocks going into this wine were hand harvested in early morning. The berries were gently de-stemmed and barely split open. Fermentation occurred in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Full extraction of berry flavors and phenolics was accomplished through a combination of mechanical punchdown, gentle pumpover irrigation and delestage. An extended maceration period built the mouthfeel and structure of this wine. Only free run is used in this wine. The wine goes directly to barrel for malolactic fermentation and was allowed to mature in 60% new French oak for 21 months. The wines were racked several times to incorporate air into the evolving wine. The final blend and every barrel was carefully assembled by our winemaker for this wine. A small amount of Cabernet Franc was used to increase aromatic complexity and some Malbec to help round the finish. Tasting Notes Wonderfully exuberant raspberry, cassis and blackberry fruit is complimented with cedar, clove, nutmeg, dark chocolate and vanillin aromas and flavors. An elegant wine with smooth supple tannins, perfect acid balance and a long lingering finsh. This wine is a treat in its youth, but the joyfullness of the fruit combined with its ample tannin structure means this wine will reach its zenith 10+ years after release. Alcohol content, 14.4% by volume 8,891 cases produced |
