TASTING NOTES
Flavors of rich black berries and black plum, dried herb complexity, sweet oak spices, vanilla bean, and toasted almonds unfold in mesmerizing layers, sending a wave of deliciously intense complexity across the palate in a tasty expression of power and elegance.
COMPOSITION
The grapes were hand-harvested with three stages of strict sorting: first, on the vine, then by individual clusters, and then again by single berry following de-stemming. The selected grapes went directly into traditional French oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration – a total of 35 days of wine to skin contact – maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins round and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into 100% new French-oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over twenty (20) months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2017
VINEYARD
Generous winter rains helped alleviate the drought conditions of the past four years, and the 2016 growing season started early. Throughout the summer months, we enjoyed cooler than average daytime highs and cool evenings, providing balancing acidity to our sun-ripened grapes. The near-perfect growing season continued through harvest and our grapes were safely in the cellar as the valley's first significant rainstorm arrived late October. We are grateful for a fifth consecutive vintage of stellar quality Napa Valley wines. Our specially selected grapes for The Reserve cabernet sauvignon were picked between September 9th and October 11th