Stony Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
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Vinous
The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is in a perfect spot for drinking today. Leather, spice, tobacco, menthol, licorice, dried herbs and subtle earthy tones grace this understated, classy Cabernet. This is such a compelling Cabernet full of old school classicism and hillside character.
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Decanter
Sweet tobacco, black raisin, graphite and oregano aromas. A velvety-textured palate transitions to subdued, dried fruit and herbal notes with graceful acidity. It takes time to come out of its shell but is worth the wait: on the second day of tasting, exuberant floral notes emerge. A mellow showing of Spring Mountain approaching the beginnings of maturity.
Drinking Window 2022 - 2032
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Enthusiast -
Wilfred
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Wilfred
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If Stony Hill wines had to be characterized in one word, it would be balance. The McCrea family aims to achieve a balance between the intensely flavored fruit from its hillside vineyards and the notable acidity that gives the wine structure and the aging potential for which it's been known for more than five decades. The winery's goal is simply to translate the intense fruitiness of our grapes into elegant, food friendly wines. To that end, grapes are crushed and pressed with minimum skin contact and fermented in neutral oak cooperage. The wine is aged in neutral oak barrels, most of which are over ten years old, allowing the wine to develop and mature without absorbing an oak flavor component that could mask the natural fruit flavors.
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.