Sherwin Family Vineyards Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Natives of Clayton, CA, in San Francisco's East Bay, Steve and Linda Sherwin yearned for a quieter, more relaxed setting to raise their three children. A series of weekend visits to the Napa Valley in 1996 finally uncovered a 30-acre property near the top of Spring Mountain. The property featured a beautiful home and a serene lake, but the real prize was 2.5 acres of mixed old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. This small vineyard was in the same location that was originally part of a 500-acre estate producing sought-after grapes from the late 1800s through Prohibition.

With a successful career in construction development behind him and a true hands-on approach, Steve began clearing and planting vineyards around the original acres virtually by himself. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, and finished 14 acres later.

Sherwin Family Vineyards released their first wine, a 1996 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, in late 1999. A scant 140 cases were produced and quickly discovered by several local restaurants, retailers, and individual customers.

Marked by the firm backbone of Spring Mountain fruit, their Cabernet Sauvignon shows remarkable density and concentration. Produced and cellared on the property in a new gravity-flow winery, Steve employs traditional winemaking methods of fermenting in one-ton bins, along with hand punch downs and hand racking.