Winemaker's Notes
Brilliant, deep red/blue color. Rich aromas of boysenberry and plum fuse with cedar tones. Juicy plum, black currant, spicy red licorice, and coffee flavors lie plush and silky across the palate. Supple and balanced, this beauty drinks well now, and should continue to reveal additional nuance in the years to come. The lingering aftertaste has a mineral component that adds to the wine's enormous appeal. Alcohol 14.1%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard: Andy Beckstoffer Stagecoach Vineyard: Jan Krupp Hyde Vineyard: Hyde Family / Larry Hyde Michael Black Vineyard: Michael Black
Vineyards
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Stagecoach Vineyard, Hyde Vineyard, Michael Black Vineyard
Appellation
Napa Valley
Clones
See
Vineyard Age
4 years to 15 years
Site
Beckstoffer - Well-drained, lightly colored gravelly soils with high mineral, low organic content situated on the Oakville bench.
Stagecoach - Mountaintop with rocky, red, volcanic, clay-loam soils with southwest exposure/ Hyde - Hillside, alluvial sandy-clay loam, east, southeast exposure.
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 9 - October 28
Harvest Brix
23.3° - 25.9°
Growing Season
Classic Cabernet Sauvignon growing conditions in Napa Valley of warm days and cool nights resulted in a crop with excellent color, fully developed flavors and great acidity. Diligent work in the vineyard to limit a large crop set helped optimize richness in the grapes. Cool weather during harvest provided enhanced flavor development.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors
4-5-day cold maceration, 20 days total maceration
Fermentation with indigenous yeast
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel
Aged 20-months in Demptos and Taransaud French oak barrels, 57% new
Unfined and unfiltered; bottled June 25 and 26, 2002
Varietal Composition: Cabernet Sauvignon 76% / Merlot 12% / Cabernet Franc 7% / Petit Verdot 5%
