an excellent vintage, in terms of quality and good yields, ending two years of small harvests in Napa Valley. Abundant sunlight in 1996 produced high bud fertility in the vine’s canes which, coupled with ideal weather during bloom and berry set, contributed to the bountiful 1997 yields. Rainfall was average in quantity (we received 40” at our winery in Oakville). However, it was considered a dry year because of the timing. Heavy rainfall occurred in December and January, followed by months of dry, warm weather. Near perfect weather for ripening and ample “hang time” on the vines resulted in fully developed flavors and mature tannins in our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Vineyard
For this limited bottling, we selected 44% of the grapes from our own vineyard in the Stags Leap District and the balance from three other exceptional vineyards in this celebrated region. The Stags Leap District is located along the Silverado Trail on the southeastern side of Napa Valley, between the towns of Yountville and Napa. Here the ancient volcanic soils of the Vaca Mountain Range are overlaid with Bale loam from old Napa River sediment. These unique soils, combined with an ideal marine-influenced climate, provide an ideal terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon vines. We hand-harvested the grapes at an average sugar of 23.8°Brix, .80% acid and 3.43 pH.

Fermentation & Aging
To give layers of complexity to the lush fruit flavors, we fermented the wine entirely with native yeasts. After fermentation was completed, we gave the wine 30 days of skin contact to naturally soften the grape tannins. A long malolactic fermentation (64% native) conducted entirely in barrels enhanced the wine’s great depth and body. During nearly 19 months in thin-staved French chateau barrels (22% new oak), the wine was racked barrel-to-barrel three times and lightly fined with fresh egg whites. Between rackings, the wine was left undisturbed for optimal clarity. These gentle winemaking techniques allowed us to bottle this Cabernet Sauvignon without filtration to fully retain its myriad of complex flavors and long aging potential.    (hide)