Winemaker Notes
This well-structured Napa Valley Red Wine offers rich, mouth-filling fruit flavors, elegant balance and supple yet defined tannins. The bouquet displays enticing lavender, violet and rose petal floral notes, intertwined with menthol, black cherry, smoke and spice. On the palate, layers of red currant, plum, tobacco, black pepper and pencil lead surround a juicy core of brambly black fruit highlighted by blackberry and black cherry.
"Lovely and complex aromas of black cherry, currants and spice beguile the senses, leaving the impression of a much more expensive wine. The reality is this vintage of Decoy is one of the great values in Napa Valley red wine. A Bordeaux blend, the '06 Decoy is fresh and lively, with supple black and red fruits on the front of the palate, hints of dried herbs, woodsmoke and cigar box on the back end, and firm if somewhat leathery wood tannins." 90 points,
Wine Review Online
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.