Napa Valley

Grape Source   This vintage, we reached out and brought in grapes from vineyards in the Napa Valley that we new to us. My idea was to see if I could make a more sophisticated and smoother Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon. With this pursuit in mind, I ended up making wine from many different vineyards that literally spanned the Valley from Calistoga to south of Napa City. Each little lot added its own idiosyncratic characteristics to the blend, and in the end I had just what I was looking for-a very complex, very drinkable and really good Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chemistry at Bottling -pH: 3.78 -Total Acidity: 5.3 grams/liter -Alcohol: 13.97% -Free Sulfur Dioxide: 30 parts per million -Total Sulfur Dioxide: 86 parts per million

Maceration      Different grapes needed different maceration times that ranged from 10 to 25 days on the skins. Once the wine was dry, I tasted them each day to see if they were ready to press.

Varietal Blend    Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of Merlot and Petit Verdot

Sensory Notes:

Look for balanced fruit and oak in the nose, and cherries, red meat and smooth tannic structure on the palate-a wine that is balanced enough to be lovely for either quaffing or serving with a meal.

Download this page in PDF format

Get shelf talkers for this wine (pdf 6 to a page)