Vintage 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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VINTAGE 2009 NAPA VALLEY The Gallo Signature Series honors the journey the Gallo family started in 1933, and it celebrates how far the family has come. With some of California’s best grapes at her fingertips, third- CABERNET SAUVIGNON generation winemaker Gina Gallo, has created three distinct wines that could only be crafted from the Gallo family’s unique combination of vineyards. For Gina, the Gallo Signature Series VARIETAL CONTENT: expresses her family’s passion for great vineyards and great wine, and it reflects the best the Gallo 93% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 7% PETIT VERDOT, Winery has to offer. The Gallo Signature Series marks a return to hands-on, artisanal APPELLATION: winemaking for Gina, and it brings to life the enduring legacy of Ernest and Julio Gallo. NAPA VALLEY: ABOUT NAPA VALLEY 85% WILLIAM HILL ESTATE VINEYARD ................................................................................................ SONOMA COUNTY: Flanked by soaring mountains on all sides, Napa Valley is a world-renowned wine region with an 15% MONTE ROSSO VINEYARD ideal climate for growing high quality grapes. From the deep, nutrient-rich soils of the valley BARRELS PRODUCED: 169 floor to the terraced vineyards of the rocky hillsides, from the windswept estuarine flats to the ALCOHOL LEVEL: 14.8% mountaintop vineyards, Napa’s 15 sub-appellations share a common thread: warm days and cool RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.05 G/100ML nights. TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 0.62 G/100ML PH: 3.65 ABOUT WILLIAM HILL ESTATE VINEYARD ................................................................................................ Most of the grapes in our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon come from our acclaimed William Hill Estate vineyard in Southern Napa. Set above the valley floor at varying elevations, this vineyard sees diverse microclimates and basks in abundant sunlight, thanks to its southwestern exposure. Volcanic soils that are rocky, thin and nutrient-deprived, stress the vines to produce smaller berries with vivid flavor and color concentration. The vineyard’s combination of rocky soils and large wide variation between day and night temperatures yields red Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular – with intense fruit character and refined acidity. VITICULTURE NOTES ................................................................................................ The 2009 growing season in the Napa Valley was moderate, causing slow ripening which led to the development of full flavors. Spring of 2009 was warm and dry, which lead to an early bud break. Although harvest was slow to start, warmer temperatures in August accelerated the last days of the maturation process, leading to fully developed grapes with intense concentration and flavor. WINEMAKING NOTES ................................................................................................ The grapes for our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon were gently destemmed and crushed, before undergoing a cold soak for three to five days. They were fermented in closed‐top, upright fermentors at a maximum temperature of 85°F. The grapes remained in contact with the skins for an average of 20 days to enhance flavor and color extraction. This wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in oak barrels for 25 months. WINE DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................ Our 2009 Gallo Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex wine with intense layers of blackberry and currant, framed by hints of chocolate and spice. Velvety tannins meld with hints of warm oak to create a long, supple finish. Gina chose to blend the Cabernet grapes with Petit Verdot to enhance the overall structure and add a deep richness to the mouthfeel. California Table Wine, ©2012 Gallo Signature Series, Healdsburg, CA. All rights reserved. 8/24/2011 .