The Vice Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
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Dense, dark and burly, with expressive dried berry notes, cocoa, cedar and a hint of cigar box scent. On the palate, this Single Vineyard wine greets with a full-bodied richness, that’s chewy and ripe. Layers of chocolate, dark berry compote, forest floor and tobacco leaf are well integrated with its massively tannic core. The finish is so rich and long, confirming that this wine is a big Napa Cab.
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Wine Spectator
This solid version is chockablock with dark currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors, carried by baker's chocolate and dark earth notes. Shows muscle and heft, but is well-defined, with a singed alder element adding length. Built for the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2038.
The Vice Wine is a Napa Valley luxury wine brand made in small batches. Each batch is crafted from single grape varietals sourced from hand selected vineyards that best express the grape varietal and the region that it comes from. The Vice Wine is a result of passionate labor, sustainable farming, a long expertise of the wine industry and a current understanding of the consumer’s wine trend.
The Vice Wine is about as personal of a brand as it gets. Everything is done by the founders. They drive the truck to get their fruit, they crush, bottle, label; they do everything by hand when possible. We design the labels, work the market, and sell the wine.
They believe that the best wines in the world aren’t the most expensive ones. They thrive at providing the best quality wine at the best value.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.