Artesa Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

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.

Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec

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.