Leducq Vineyards Le Ducq 1999
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Plum, spice, currants, black cherry and hints of mint are intricately woven into the nose of the 1998 Le Ducq. On the palate, this rich wine opens with an interesting blend of cedar, plums and cola nut leading to a nice satin finish with good structure and soft tannins.
The cornerstone of Leducq is the associated 41.5-acre estate vineyard located just north of the town of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. It is a beautifully situated, well-drained, gently sloped parcel planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The front 35 acres of the Ehlers Lane property were purchased in the late 1980s. In 2001 Leducq Vineyards reunited the front acreage with the historic Ehler's Lane winery (Est. 1886) and the northern vineyards.
The vineyard was developed with the help of world famous French enologist, Jacques Boissenot who directed all aspects of vineyard development including vine spacing, trellising systems, clonal and rootstock selections and farming regimes. With the implementation of his winemaking and vineyard programs, Mr. Boissenot established Leducq’s style. In 1999, Leducq Vineyards engaged longtime Napa Valley Winemaker Nils Venge as consulting winemaker. The winemaking team believes in the importance of terroir in the creation of an exceptional wine. The site, soil, climate, variety, clones, yield and berry size all contribute to intensely flavored grapes with ripe tannins. Strict adherence to French winemaking techniques, such as barrel to barrel racking every 3 months and egg white fining to polish the wine, is integral to the creation of Leducq Vineyards' style.
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.