The 2007 vintage was arguably the finest vintage of the past 100 years. In Northern California, the vintage started off with a mild winter and a warm, dry spring that led to a healthy bud break and then a smaller-than average fruit set. The normally hot summer months were relatively mild with just a few heat spikes early in the season. The long, even weather continued through the end of August and eventually cooled in mid-September, allowing farmers to take their time with the harvest. This long harvest provided winemakers with the luxury of picking the grapes when the seeds were brown and nutty but the fruit was still fresh (green seeds can impart an herbaceous or vegetal quality to the wine.) It also let producers vinify the wines in smaller lots, giving them more control in the blending process. This wine will peak in 10 years.
Their Flagship wine starts with explosive red fruit, black cherry, cola berry, and chocolate on the nose. Wine maker, Kevin Mills, builds the blend piece by piece for a wine with layers and layers of complex aromas and flavors. It shows black currant, licorice, plums, cocoa and earthy cedar and mineral nuances in a supple texture that shows beautifully approachable. For a Napa Valley estate wine of this quality it’s an incredible value. The mouth is full, supple, and rich and its lengthy finish will leave you lingering for more. This wine is Very Limited.
Varietals:
40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Cabernet France, 14% Merlot, 9% Malbec.
Aging: 18 months in 100% new French oak.
Alcohol: 13.9%
Total Acidity: 7.49g
pH: 3.75
Cases: 536
95 Points
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
93 Points
Aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, and cedar unfold alongside soft notes of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, structured tannins frame layers of black cherry, baking spice, and a subtle herbal lift from the Merlot blended beneath the Cabernet's backbone. Medium-bodied gem with good concentration finishing long and warm, with lingering impressions of cocoa and dried fig.
96 Points
Aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry liqueur, and purple flowers drive the nose of this energetic Syrah which is co-fermented with a whisper of Viognier. Gracing the palate are dark berries, plum, blackberries, peppercorns, hints of sweet tobacco, and well-positioned oak spice with plush acid and rich tannin peaking through the finish.
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