2007 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon "Black Capsule"

Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley. This wine is our signature Cabernet made exclusively from selected grape clusters from our shy-bearing Hillside vineyard. To create this wine we once again turned to St. Helena winemaker Mike Smith whose considerable skill resulted in our very well-received 2006 vintage "Black Capsule" Cabernet. The grapes were harvested in the cold, misty early morning hours of October 22,2007. Fermentation was begun using only the natural yeast produced by the grape. Upon the completion of a slow, unhurried fermentation the wine was placed in new Taransaud and Seguin Moreau French Oak barrels where it rested in the quiet cool cellar for the next 20 months prior to the bottling in June, 2009. The resulting wine is a jewel with a deep ruby color finishing to the edge of the glass and an elegant aroma of subtle notes of lightly toasted oak, spice box, and new leather. The complexity is manifest by flavors of black cherry, cassis, blackberry, dark chocolate and pipe tobacco presented with a velvety mouth-feel enhanced by a long finish balanced by the supple ripeness of the rich tannins. This is truly a special occasion wine.