Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThis distinctive blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Sangiovese, and 10% Petite Sirah may be Napa's finest interpretation of a proprietary red wine from Italy's Tuscan coastline. A dense ruby/purple color accompanies sweet notes of black fruit, charcoal, licorice, new saddle leather, and dried herbs. This rich, multi-layered, medium to full-bodied red possesses a lush, hedonistic mouthfeel, complex aromatics, and a fabulous finish. This is the real deal!
A richly flavored, smoothly textured wine that weaves together lots of pretty currant, cedar, coffee and blackberry fruit, but is also quite expansive. Well-focused, it's complex and concentrated without being too heavy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah.
At first this is very woody, bordering on sappy. But with time the wood softens, leaving ripe and bright cassis, plum and black cherry. The finish is toasty and creamy. And while it feels full and hearty, the wine isn’t hard or tannic. An interesting blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah.
Being so motivated, I longed to create a distinctive, noble wine. In the California tradition of working with the new to improve the traditional, I looked to achieve a way of broadening the distinctly majestic flavors and aromas of the king of Napa Valley's varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the years I've had the opportunity to experiment with various lots of Cabernet, and I eventually settled on the hillside fruit from Ahollinger vineyards in the Mount Veeder area. This vineyard produces a bold and expressive, yet elegant wine. In 1992, we discovered the Sangiovese fruit of Cal Showket in the Oakville appellation, and were literally overwhelmed by the intensity of what resulted in our first crush in 1993. To embellish the color and acid levels of the Sangiovese, we crushed and macerated this fruit with one and a half tons of the best Petite Syrah fruit I had ever sampled.
As time aged each of these wines, and molded their individual character, I was able to determine a blend that married the elegant, yet rich and softly oaked Cabernet with the Sangiovese's long and linear tannins, at the same time elevating the cherry, berry Sangiovese fruit to a pronounced level. The resulting wine showed that a whole could be greater than it's individual parts. And so...'Bacio Divino', a divine kiss, was born.
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.