Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Black cherry and blackberry are the first aromatics to shine through on this elegant Cabernet. Full bodied and rich, the tannins are firm yet refined, commanding a robust plush quality. Hints of barrel spices reveal a slight toastiness, which is complemented by cigar box, leather, and plum on the back end. This wine has great length — it is delicious now but also is sure to age for at least a decade.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Crane Vineyard, made up of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, is deep garnet-purple in color with a youthfully mute nose with notes of dusty earth, cinnamon stick, cedar chest and garrigue over a core of blackberries and kirsch. Medium to full-bodied with firm, grainy tannins, it has a good core of muscular fruit and a long, earthy finish. Give it 2-3 years in bottle and drink it over the next 15+.
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James Suckling
This shows classic Dr. Crane character with burnt oranges, hot stones but also pressed violets and oyster shell. A fine-tuned, linear texture buttressed by tight tannins defines a full-bodied palate with vibrant acidity and a mineral-driven finish. A blend of 88% cabernet sauvignon and 12% merlot. Drink in 2020.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2015 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon spins its tale in an Old World style. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows rusticity, savory spices, and red currants in its aromas and flavors. Pair it with mildly-spiced lamb stew. (Tasted: February 21, 2020, St. Helena, CA)
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Ed Salvestrin, who grew up on the family vineyard, continued to grow quality grapes through the 60s, 70s, and 80s preserving the family legacy for future generations. He still lives on the site and frequently tends to his fruit trees when he's not helping out in the vineyard.
In 1987, Rich Salvestrin completed his degree in viticulture from Fresno State University. He returned to the family vineyard to help farm and also to expand the family's grape growing business to include winemaking. 1994 was the inaugural vintage of Salvestrin Cabernet Sauvignon and in 2001 the estate winery was constructed amongst the family vines.
Today, the fourth generation Salvestrin girls are growing up on the family vineyard.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.