Winemaker Notes
Atlas Peak has been producing wines of renown since 1870. Located in Napa Valley's famed eastern mountains, Atlas Peak is regularly cooler than Napa Valley's other mountain AVAs, and significantly cooler than the valley floor. On a 100 degree afternoon on the valley floor, their Attelas and Edcora estate vineyards are typically 5-to-10 degrees cooler, ensuring abundant hangtime and ideal ripeness for the grapes. Atlas Peak benefits from a diurnal temperature variation of as much as 50 degrees, which helps the grapes to maintain excellent natural acidity and earthy minerality—signatures of Acumen wines.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
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.
Just northeast of Napa city, Atlas Peak boasts some of Napa Valley’s highest elevation vineyards. Here the intense sunlight coupled with cool, nighttime temperatures produce grapes that are perfectly ripe, balanced and concentrated. The appellation is rich in volcanic soils and excels in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.