2 0 1 5 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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201 5 CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY The extraordinary quality of this wine originates in Napa Valley’s generous terroir. When I taste this, I’m reminded why Cabernet Sauvignon is the varietal on which Robert Mondavi built his reputation. Genevieve Janssens - Director of Winemaking •WINE• Varietal composition: Flavor descriptors: Wine analysis: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon A mouth filling entry of dark berry Total acid: 6.4 g/L 4% Merlot and black plum fruit is layered with Final pH: 3.74 2% Petit Verdot black pepper, dried lavender and Residual sugar: 0.89 g/L 2% Cabernet Franc herbs complexity, enrobing a firm Alcohol: 15% by volume core of tannins and bright acidity in a wave of deliciously sensual fruit and spice flavors which linger on the richly-textured finish. •VINTAGE• 2015 started warmer and drier than usual, without a drop of rain in January. The dry conditions continued well into April with some early irrigation in the vineyards. A cooler May reduced fruit set and provided the first signs of a lighter crop for the vintage. The harvest brought in fruit at optimal flavor maturity before a series of heat waves hit the valley. Overall, the 2015 harvest is one of the earliest on record. Our selected grapes for our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine were picked between September 4th an October 30th. •VINEYARDS• Fruit for our Napa Valley Cabernet includes two of the valley’s most renowned sub-appellations and vineyards: our historic To Kalon vineyard in Oakville located on the well-drained alluvial bench surrounding the winery; and a smaller percentage from our Wappo Hill Vineyard in the Stag’s Leap district. The varying mesoclimates and soils of these two vineyards elicit a wonderfully concentrated, expressive, and classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and are combined with fruit from a number of the area’s finest vineyards for the perfect expression of the region. Appellation: Napa Valley AVA Grape Sourcing: vineyards of note: To Kalon Vineyard and Wappo Hill Vineyard •WINEMAKING• The grapes were hand harvested into small bins and carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently de-stemmed directly into traditional oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration-a total of 25 days of wine to skin contact--maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins fleshy and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into French oak barrels (16% new) for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 17 months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in May 2017. CASES PRODUCED: 57,4 16 7801 ST. HELENA HIGH WAY, OAKVILLE, CA 94 562 TELEPHONE 1.888. R M O N D A V I WWW.ROBERTMONDAVIWIN ERY.COM .