Winemaker Notes
The 2013 Salvestrin The 2013 Salvestrin Three D exemplifies the Dr. Crane Vineyard as an optimal site for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. Having farmed this land for his entire life, proprietor Rich Salvestrin employs sustainable grape growing practices and stringent selection of only the top barrels of the vintage. Made in honor of Rich and Shannon Salvestrin's three daughters, the 2013 three daughters, the 2013 Three D displays a high intensity aroma of mocha, kir and freshly picked dark cherries. The dense palate of black plums and herbs de Provence resolves into a finish of silky,fine-grained tannins. Subtle baking spice compliments the aromatic fruit concentration, resulting in a wine of brilliant depth, complexityand length. and length. This wine is drinking well now, but willalso cellar for the next 15+ years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A distinctive and singular style of wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Three D Dr. Crane is a relatively small cuvée of only 345 cases. Dense purple in color, with notes of charcoal, truffle, graphite, blackberry and cassis as well as outstanding purity, texture and length, this wine is still youthful but promising, and certainly seems to have at least a 15- or 20-year upside to it. This is a beauty.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a lightly spiced 100% varietal wine from a famous site, a showcase of burly black cherry seasoned in cedar, graphite and vanilla. Full bodied, it holds its ripeness well, integrating the weight into a graceful package of understated power.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.