Sailor's Grave Red Blend 2010
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Try it with a mushroom-encrusted filet mignon served with sun-dried tomato compote and a side of roasted blue potatoes with sea salt. This wine, when cellared properly, will drink well through 2030.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, 2% Merlot, 2% Malbec
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With a pedigree of Howell Mountain and Oakville fruit, this Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Malbec blend is barrel-aged for 20 months and given one year in bottle. From the first sip, it rockets to its high and mighty purpleness, a violet-stained black cherry and maple toastiness. Grainy tannins are licked by raspberry and espresso—it's big and waiting to evolve.
Sailor's Grave is an ode to Michael's late grandfather who was an ex first officer in the Merchant Marines, a former staff member of the Sailor's Union in Oakland, CA in the late 1940's and a tattoo enthusiast. "Sailor's Grave" was a common tattoo around that time for seamen depicting a ship sinking below the image of an Eagle with the American flag. The label incorporates his own tattoos as well as his initials "BP" and his birth and death dates in roman numerals on his arms. The nurses represent "The Rose of No Man's Land" an ode to nurses that help the wounded on the battlefield during WWII and represent life and death on an open and unforgiving sea
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.