Buehler Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Papa's Knoll 2005

Winemaker's Notes:

Buehler Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Comprised of 100% cabernet sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (35%) in conjunction with grapes from other mature, high-quality, low-yielding Napa Valley cabernet vineyards located on the valley floor. We've found the resulting blend to produce a wine that displays a broad spectrum of aromas, flavors, and textures that cabernet can show in the Napa Valley. The 2005 growing season was exceptional in that the climate extremes were unexceptional during the flowering season, the summer, and even through the entire harvest. The relatively cool nature of the growing season delivered slowly ripened grapes with perfectly mature skin and seed tannins a week into November; the color of the resulting wines is notably dark. With higher acid levels and lower sugar levels at the optimum stage of flavor development, the word, "balance", best describes the overriding theme of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Following a seven-day fermentation, the wine was transferred to barrels before initiating the malolactic fermentation; keeping the wine "dirty" when young greatly increased the impression of roundness and smoothness in the finished wine. The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was racked four times in the first year of aging to encourage aromatic and tannin development. It was aged a total of 18 months in a blend of French and American oak barrels. The wine is brimming with fruit aromas and flavors biased to the black fruit end of the cabernet spectrum: plums, blackberry, black currant. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age. For those who seek youthful fresh cabernet fruit aromas and a more structured wine, drink it from 2007 through 2011. If you prefer the less fruity, more developed bottle bouquet aromas and a softer, more velvety wine on the palate, drink it from 2012-2022. David Cronin Winemaker Buehler Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Statistics Appellation Napa Valley TA 0.63 g/100 ml PH 3.72 Alcohol 14.8% vol Production 13,000 cases