Winemaker Notes
Imagine gathering on a beautiful cloudless night, waiting for something magical to transform the darkness. Suddenly the sky explodes with color, light, and noise, dazzling the senses. The fireworks fade, but the memory of those captivating moments linger. This experience inspired the label art for our 2013 Vin Perdu - a crescendo of flavors with a lingering finish. Once again, Heidi has masterfully blended small lots from some of our finest vineyard blocks on the eastern side of Napa Valley, delivering an incredible array of aromas and flavors. The composition of 2013 Vin Perdu is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Merlot, 9.6% Syrah, 8.6% Petit Verdot, and 3.2% Cabernet Franc from the Amuse Bouche, La Sirena and Lamborn Estates. Because the percentages of the Vin Perdu components vary from year to year, each vintage is truly unique.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.