TASTING NOTES

Our 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a salute to the characteristics and complexity of exemplary Cabernet Sauvignons sourced from Rutherford. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is intensely colored, with complex red and black fruits and supple tannins.

VINTAGE GROWING CONDITIONS

The 2012 Napa Valley vintage was one of perfection and will be viewed as one of the historical marks for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, however from the onset few would have predicted the result. Beginning with heavy rains during March and temperatures cooler than normal, Cabernet Sauvignon experienced bud break just before the 1st of April. Although behind the historical average, the growing season was consistently hot - sunny days bookended by rapidly cooling evenings. The result was a compacted growing season producing peak grape maturity prior to the commencement of the fall rains.

APPELLATION & VINEYARD

Approved in 1994, the Rutherford AVA has quickly established itself as a world-class premium Cabernet Sauvignon producing microclimate. Rutherford’s most influential attribute is the soil profile: ranging from a complex blending of sand, loam, and grave and peppered by volcanic deposits originating from alluvial fans rolling off the Vaca Mountains. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the southeastern quadrant up the elevating landscape directly in the heart of the Napa Valley’s most coveted land for fine Cabernet. The vineyard was originally planted by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford in 1895. In the years following, Georges de Latour purchased the vineyard and named it Beaulieu Vineyard Number 3. Many acclaimed wines originated from this vineyard including wines made by Andre Tchelistcheff who’s wines became the definition of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1960s and 1970s.

VINIFICATION

Channeling the vision of Rutherford’s forefather, Andre Tchelistcheff, and combining state of the art enological research, our 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon encapsulates what a Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is intended to be. Using multiple yeast strains, controlling the winemaking environment by using cooler fermentation temperatures and pressing to dryness without delay, Our 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon was a classic wine at birth. Aged in 100% new French and American oak barrels, our Cabernet underwent malolactic fermentation in oak and aged for 24 months. Our barrel program uses a complex mix of specific toasting profiles, which complements the clonal variety of Cabernet Sauvignon used.