The cellar is pressing its last tank of Cabernet Sauvignon and we are continuing to barrel down the remaining 2011 vintage wines. We are finally able to catch our breath from a long harvest and now begin the patient period of barrel aging. We can now appreciate the aromas in the winery where smells of young wine and new French oak waft all around when we fill our barrels. As we wrap up the 2011 vintage, we have begun to appreciate that while it was a very challenging harvest, we have found some really great character in the 2011 wines and look forward to watching them mature over the next couple of years in barrel. We have also started saying our goodbyes to the interns who spent the last couple of months helping us make this harvest happen and we greatly appreciate all of their hard work.
As the New Year rolls around, we will begin preparing to bottle our 2009 “Mountain Fruit” Cabernet Sauvignons. This will include our previous line up of Diamond Mountain, Mt. Veeder, & Atlas Peak as well as the first vintage of a new “Mountain Designate”, Spring Mountain. All of these have distinct character indicative of their unique “sense of place” in the Napa Valley and we are limiting their production to approximately 100 cases per appellation. The beauty of this limited quantity is that after these “Mountain Designate” Cabernets are crafted, the remaining wines are blended into the 2009 Artistry Red Wine blend. These tasty “leftovers” lend to even more complexity in Artistry by adding more concentrated flavors and aromas.
We look forward to safe and happy New Year and we hope to see you in Napa soon to share a glass with us. Remember wine is alive and it is a journey, not a destination. Keep exploring! Cheers
