2017 Wurtele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Growing Season:

The near-perfect 2017 growing season started early, saw ideal weather conditions throughout and wrapped up as the valley’s first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October 14.  Thanks to a relatively steady and mild July and August and then a series of warm days at the end of the growing season, vineyards were able to progress to perfect ripeness.  Wines from the 2016 vintage are now quietly developing in cellars throughout Napa Valley and vintners are pinching themselves and smiling for the gift it appears Mother Nature has given them: a fifth consecutive vintage of stellar quality Napa Valley wines.

Harvest Date: October 8, 2017
Harvest Brix:  26.4°

Winemaking:

Hand-harvested, picked at night
Gently de-stemmed and whole berries transferred to stainless steel
Cold soaked for 48 hours
Inoculated with D80 yeast and fermented for 21 days on the skins
Free run juice drained from tank, settled for 24 hours then racked to barrel
Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, 66% new
Coopers: Nadalie, Orion and Ermitage
Bottled July 2018
175 cases produced
Composition-100% Cabernet Sauvignon

 
Tasting Notes:
Big, bold, mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from founding Wurtele vineyard, sourced from the esteemed mountain estate. Dark fruit, with lingering chewy tannins. Known for its balanced, bright, dark fruit flavors, with rich black and cherry leading into broad mid-palate with long, lingering finish.