2017 Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2017 season began in a routine fashion, with abundant rainfall in the winter, and budbreak taking off in early April. Conditions started to deviate away from the routine starting in June: on June 15th we experienced a heat spike with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for one week. This heat wave, along with a few other short heat events throughout June and July, delayed veraison (the onset of ripening within the berry) and the overall maturation process. We received a small reprieve from the intense heat during the month of August with cool, foggy mornings, but then experienced an intense heat burst during the Labor Day weekend in early September. With a reserve of water in the soil from the abundant winter season rain, and careful monitoring by Mike Wolf and his vineyard team, our vines persevered, and all of the grapes were harvested at peak ripening by October 2nd - 6 days before the North Bay fires started travelling across Napa and Sonoma counties. We are grateful for the beautiful wines that came out of thismemorable vintage, and are reminded of how each wine tells a story of place and time – even during the most challenging of times.
Tasting Notes:
Aromatically intriguing, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a rich blend of vibrant cherry and cranberry fruit notes, harmoniously interplayed with undertones of tobacco, sage and cedar. The palate is smooth and broad, with a beautiful tension built into the core of this wine: fine-grained tannins provide structure and ageability when layered on top of ripe black cherry, orange spice, and lush dark chocolate flavors. The finish illustrates the tried and true characters of this vineyard – dark cherry fruit and savory spice laced with velvety tannins and lively minerality.
Press:
Antonio Galloni, VINOUS, 95 points
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HARVEST DATES: September 27th - October 2nd, 2018
GRAPE SOURCE: Kelly Fleming Estate Vineyard
APPELLATION: Calistoga, Napa Valley
WINEMAKING TEAM: Rebecca George & Françoise Peschon
VINEYARD MANAGER: Michael Wolf
BLEND: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
ALCOHOL: 14.9%
OAK PROFILE: 80% new French oak, 20% neutral French oak
AGING: 20 months
CASES PRODUCED: 580
Library Wines:
2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon