Chateau Potelle Mt. Veeder VGS Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

If Cabernet is THE grape of the Napa Valley, Mount Veeder is definitely THE place to grow this king of the grapes. The elevation, slopes, poor soils, natural drainage, dry farming, stressed vines, small berries and low yield all unite to produce a wine of intense character in both fruitiness and spiciness. It is a wine rich in personality with concentration and depth. These grapes come from our 26 year old vines on our Mount Veeder Estate. They are hand picked. The extremely low yield, 2 tons per acre, is due to the structure of the different soils the Cabernet grows on ranging from volcanic, rocky soils to deep loamy and clay. These soils force the vines to work harder creating a wine of intense character both in fruitiness and deeper spice flavors. Natural fermentation brings the true flavors from the soils and the grape. The wine was aged 20 months in French oak barrels. To ensure the lowest manipulation possible, all rackings are made by gravity barrel to barrel. Unfiltered, the wine keeps in the bottle all the elements it developed in the barrels. Château Potelle Cabernet Sauvignon VGS is aged 16 months in the bottle before release. This extra time allows for the tannins to melt and integrate and contribute to make a wine well rounded and ample at release.