Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Cathiard Vineyard is perched slightly above the valley floor on the lower slopes of the Mayacamas mountains with vineyards straddling both the Rutherford and St. Helena appellations. Over the decades, this historic property has featured numerous owners and vineyard and winemaking heritage dating back to the 1840’s. This exciting new estate is owned by Florence and Daniel Cathiard of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and several other Chateau in Bordeaux. 2020 is their first vintage release and the wines have already received rave reviews. These exceptional wines are crafted by head winemaker Justine Labbé and famed consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. The estate produces three unique expressions, each offer different personalities, the one characteristic all have in common is their superb balance. These are not heavy Napa Valley contemporary red wines, rather they have finesse and freshness, lively individualistic personalities and show extremely well with food.
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.