Bacio Divino Proprietary Red 2002
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This current wine is the most precocious yet. Bacio is very fruit forward, explodes on the palate with congenial berry fruit, yet slides away with a balance that rewards with long and lasting sweetness. Bacio is aromatic with ripe fruit, and is delightfully sweet and balanced.
Blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Sangiovese, 15% Petit Sirah
Other Vintages
2019-
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
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.