Winemaker Notes
Whereas most red blends are created from separate lots of wine and blended prior to bottling, the fruit for this blend was carefully selected, co-fermented and barrel aged as a single lot to create awine with greater depth and integration. After an extended maceration period the wine was aged in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels for 18 months.
Deep scarlet in color, with a slight purplish-black core. Intense aromas of dark berry, bing cherry and dried cranberry, layered with accents of smoky bacon, black pepper and sweet tobacco. The palate is fleshy and rich with dense, smooth flavors of raspberry chocolate torte, dark fruit, licorice and a savory seared meat character. Bold structure, balanced acidity and firm tannins give the wine tremendous depth, intensity and length now, with the potential to age gracefully.
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.