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2007 Textbook Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon "Mise en place", Oakville District, Napa Valley• Superbly mature and well-drained sites on east-side of Oakville District AVA, next door to Screaming Eagle, down the road from Rudd & Joseph Phelps' Backus Vineyard
Price: $49/bottle Free shipping on 6+ bottles!
• ACCOLADES •2007 Vintage OUTSTANDING
2006 Vintage EXCELLENT & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2005 Vintage 91 points - OUTSTANDING 94 Points EXCELLENT! • Vintage 2007 •Enthusiastic winemakers often hail certain years as "superb", or "terrific". But the growing conditions in 2007 were truly exemplary so our cellar activities were minimal. 2007 was a drought year and had even temperatures all season long. A heat spike in early September improved ripening. After that it was smooth sailing with warm days and cool nights and zero precipitation. Flavors at mid-September were already showing their promise and by harvest in early October they were deep, complex and we were very optimistic. On October 3 and 7 we hand harvested small bunches in immaculate condition with excellent flavor and balanced acids. Our 2007 "Mise en Place" is not styled as a commercial "blockbuster", rather it is crafted to be a delicious Oakville District Cabernet to enjoy in the medium term with the knowledge that its depth, balance and subtlety will carry it for the long haul. • TWO REMARKABLE Vineyards •Our "Mise en place" Cabernet Sauvignon comes from two very special single vineyard sites located on the extreme eastern side of the Oakville District abutting the rugged and dry Vaca Mountain Range. This sub-section of the Oakville AVA is renowned for superb, richly-textured Cabernet Sauvignon and its terrain is characterized by steep hills which bask in warm, sunny afternoons offering an ideal growing environment. These vineyards soils profiles include gravelly alluvium (eroded off the nearby Vaca mountains) covered by shallow gravelly loam and in some places interspersed with large boulders. It is quite infertile and very well-drained. Planted in the early 1980's and 1990's these two sites clonal material includes heritage clones (likely from Beaulieu Block) as well as Clones 4 and 337. Exemplary sustainable farming practices are employed in these mature sites and after veraison we culled unevenly ripened bunches which reduced yield to less than 5 pounds per vine (@ 3.75 tons/acre), low for Oakville. • Winemaking •Our Cabernet Sauvignon clusters were field sorted, hand-harvested and then hand-sorted at the winery on October 3 and 7 at an average of 26.2 Brix and subsequently cold soaked for 4 days in open-top, temperature-controlled fermenters. Several daily punchdowns during fermentation kept the cap immersed in must and extracted superb flavor and structure. After three weeks on their skins we gently pressed into French oak barriques where it slowly completed ML fermentation. Barrels were of the highest quality; 100% French, 55% new, three-year air dried, medium toast with toasted heads and handcrafted by Boutes, Francois Frères and Nadalié. Hillside Oakville Cabernet Franc added additional structure while Oakville Merlot provided softness and completed the classic "Bordeaux Left Bank" blend profile. Twenty-two months maturation in barrel with five hand rackings and two egg white finings integrated flavors and developed its wonderful, balanced mouth-feel. Press fractions were not used. We bottled sixteen barrels in Summer 2009. It is called "Mise en place" to reflect the preparation and diligence exercised in the vineyards and winery. We believe it is a "textbook" example of this noble variety grown in this outstanding appellation. It can be enjoyed over the next decade. • Wine Facts • Regional Composition: 100% Oakville District Fact Sheet
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Price: $49/bottle Free shipping on 6+ bottles!
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