Grasso Vineyard
2007 Grasso Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Olive Ridge Vineyard
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
The Alluvial
Stupendous and delicious, today’s stunning 2007 Grasso Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a true sleeper hit. We absolutely adore this deep, aromatic and flavor-packed wine and give it our heartiest recommendation.
2007 was such special vintage (Robert Parket awarded the N.Cal vintage a remarkable 96 Points) and today’s wine is a really extraordinary example of just how great a 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet can be. If we sound like we are in love with this wine it is only because… we are.
Pair as you would any big, bold, brawny (but balanced!) Cabernet. We enjoyed ours with sirloin steak kabobs with fresh rosemary, garlic and roasted tomatoes. The combination was divine!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep, dark garnet hues with a dense and darker heart of darkest magenta. Color is perfectly even, from core to the fine ruby ring at the edge of the glass. After a hearty swirl, the wine settles down quickly, leaving behind tall, skinny legs that weave their way slowly down the glass. |
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| Smell: | Lush and very fragrant, with bold, spice black cherry, ripe blackberry, blueberry and sweet tobacco that just leap from the glass. These are supported by aromas of cigar box, leather, black currant, plum, sweet brown spice, with a subtle hint of fresh bay laurel leaf. |
| Taste: | Dark and richly layered with rich, ripe black fruit balanced against a plethora of earthen goodness, spice and dark minerals. In the lead, mixed blackberry, black currant, plum and darkest black cherry. These flavors are seemingly enveloped by cigar box, sweet tobacco leaf, leather, cocoa powder, dried fall leaves, brown spice and flint and graphite. |
| Finish: | Super long and filled with flavor. Fruits very gradually yield to spice, earthy elements and soft minerals. A wonderfully smooth, tender dryness spreads from the center of the palate, outward, eventually drying the lips and cheeks. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
Vineyard
Appellation: Napa Valley.
Property: The Grasso’s designated Olive Ridge Vineyard is located on their Napa Valley Estate Compound, in the Coombsville area, east of the City of Napa.
Clones: The vines are planted on 1103P, clone 7 on the slopes and 5C, clone 7 in the flats. Vine Age: 13-16 years.
Trellis: We utilize a GDC quadrilateral trellis system with the row direction planted north/south to take advantage of east/west sun.
Site: The soil is a rocky/cobbly alluvial normally found in hillside vineyards.
Farming: The vineyard is never tilled but mowed to prevent erosion. Canopy management is constantly worked throughout the growing season. Total yield in the vineyard is limited to 2.9 to 3.5 tons per acre.
HARVEST
Date: Hand harvested on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Brix: 25.6 ° at harvest Season: The year began dry with some very cold days and single-digit nighttime temperatures. The season continued dry, with about 60% of normal precipitation. Temperatures were warmer than normal as winter continued into spring resulting in earlier budding, bloom and set in the vineyard. The summer growing season began on the mild to cool side, with few days topping 100 degrees. Heat spikes in September brought the sugar up. We picked right before the forecasted rains. Berries were small but full of Cabernet characteristics.
WINEMAKING
· 3 days cold soaked. · Combination Punch Down and Pump over 3 times daily. · Total Skin maceration time 20 days. · Barrel aged for 24 months in tight-grained French oak. · Bottled on November 4, 2009. 423 cases made.
RELEASE TASTING NOTES
This aroma profile has complex layers of plum, baking spices and bay leaf. Palate flavors are deep and velvety with lots of dark fruit, especially plum. Expect to find big and rich mouth-coating tannins, balanced acidity, and a velvety lengthy finish. The wine has great ageing potential.
TECHNICAL DATA
· ABV: 14.5% - RS: Dry - PH: 3.85 - TA: 0.60 · 100% Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon.
About the Winery
Frank’s passion for wine has always been in his heart. From his childhood years watching Grandpa make the family wine in his oval barrels to his adult years walking the vineyards with his Uncle Joe. In 1989, Frank moved to Napa. After locating a prime piece of Napa, east of the city of Napa near Mt. George, they hired Richard Nagaoka a Viticulture Consultant who found the area ideal for grapes –specifically Cabernet Sauvignon. The soil is a rocky/cobbly alluvial normally found in hillside vineyards.
Frank’s continued research found that alluvial is soil deposited by a river or other running water, hence the round river rock that keeps bubbling up after each winter rain. A plus for this site is the unique style of grape that can be grown here. Grapes grown in mostly stony alluvial soil produce wines with more concentrated fruit flavors. Valley floor vineyards have produced remarkably structured wines for decades in their clay loam soil. Therefore, with less access to hillsides and rocky/cobbly alluvial soil, there are fewer of these distinctive grapes and the wine made from them.