2018 Vine CliffMalbec Oakville

Established in 1871 and noted as the premier Napa Valley winery, Vine Cliff Vineyard and Winery was resurrected from ghost winery status by the Sweeney family in the 1980s. Vine Cliff Winery produces limited quantities of ultra-premium, estate grown and from Oakville AVA and Los Carneros AVA respectively. Vine Cliff Vineyard encompasses a hundred acre estate with various elevations and terraced slope orientations that range from valley floor to a bench vineyard at 680 feet elevation. Our wines are reflective of our unique and highly acclaimed terroir and made in a balanced style with layer upon layer of subtlety and complexity. WINE PROFILE: Gentle fruit handling, in a small lot fermenter; with great attention to quality are the rules for producing this great . The were hand-picked in the early morning to give us cold fruit for processing. Cold soaked before the must for several days gives the wine its rich color, and then fermented at high heat to extract the flavors. Once fermentation was finished, it was transferred to, and aged in 65% New French Oak barrels for 18 months. Our 2018 Oakville Malbec is a polished yet powerful wine, with a bright magenta rim and opaque purple center.

TASTING NOTES: On the nose, crushed fresh blackberries and rasberries, with notes of warm baking spices and a touch of white miso; opens up to a hint of shortbread and purple lilac floral notes. The palate, with more fresh bramble fruit, continues with accents of black tea and cocoa powder punctuated with a nice long finish. A long solid acid backbone lends to aging for 10 more years, but the freshness says its also ready to enjoy now!

VINTAGE NOTES: "February saw abundant rains, followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Both bud break and flowering occurred a bit late, but under ideal weather conditions, creating plentiful and even fruit set. Summer brought generous sun during the day and cooler marine influences, virtually uninterrupted by major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created near-ideal conditions for winemakers to allow their fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels. Volume is looking great, up 20-30% increase over average crop quantity”. VINEYARD NOTES: The grapes for our 2018 Oakville Malbec came exclusively from our renowned Vine Cliff Estate Vineyard in the Oakville AVA of the Napa Valley. The vineyard consists of only 6 rows alongside our outer border near the valley floor. While still terraced into our steep terrain, it obtains all the qualities and nutrients from the whole vineyard, as it soaks up both low elevation climate and moisture, as well as rocky soil concentrates of the hillside. Between the Oakville appellation and our unique farming practices of low yield production; these grapes and wine develop with incredible flavor and concentration.

SOIL: Volcanic origin Boomer gravelly loam ELEVATION: 280’-680’

VARIETAL COMPOSITION: 100% Malbec

COOPERAGE COMPOSITION: 65% new French Oak from coopers Seguin Moreau and Darnajou.

BARREL AGING: 18 months PRODUCTION QUANTITY: 76 cases (9L equiv.)