Cardinale Red Meritage 2006

Cardinale is more than one wine - it is several wines from disparate mountain and benchland vineyards along the Mayacamas and Vaca ranges that surround Napa Valley. Every bottle reveals the artistic sensibility of the winemaker, each vineyard lot fused into a seamless blend in which you can sense the constituent parts, but still taste them as one wine. Our philosophy is guided by the pursuit of grape selectivity in the vineyard, gentle handling and the ability to accommodate the different winemaking needs of each vintage.

"In the late 1980's an elite group of musicians called The Traveling Wilburys was formed. It consisted of musicians like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Roy Orbison. Each were legends in their own right, yet together they formed a band that layered the musicians' individual sounds and created a harmony that spoke to the times. Cardinale mirrors that unique fusion in a wine as the 2006 captures and harmonizes the expressive tones of each vineyard source. The expansive aromatic comes through first with Mt. Veeder's dark fruit and minerality followed by Howell Mountain freshly brewed French roast and a hint of Stag's Leap cassis. The palate conveys the floral tones of Spring Mountain, the lushness of Oakville's To Kalon and the backbone of Mt. Veeder." Christopher Carpenter, Cardinale Winemaker