Allora Lusso Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Presently, 10 acres of grapevines are planted on the Klein’s estate. Eight acres are Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and the remaining two acres are Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Syrah. Additionally, the planting style is unique since the vines are grown closely together which forces each plant to produce only a small amount of fruit of the highest quality possible. Allora’s vineyard was planted in the spring of 2000, so the first harvest from those vines is yet to come. As a result, the fruit that was used to make the Allora “Tresca” wines in the years past came from various appellations in the Napa Valley.
The operation of the winery mainly depends on Terry and Kelly Klein. Terry, working in close connection with the winemaker, decides on which varietals will be used in each of the blends, how much wine to produce, and which aging techniques will create a superior wine. Kelly works as the sales and marketing director. She tries carefully to introduce the Allora wines to people who deeply appreciate small production, high quality wine.
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.