2006 Cerro Sur Napa Valley Red Wine

One of our favorite areas in the Napa Valley is in the hills east of the town of Napa. The rolling hills run through the Coombsville area and rise up to Wooden Valley, then continue east to the Sacramento Valley. This area is unique in Napa Valley, with perfectly drained volcanic soils, a cooling breeze off the San Francisco Bay, and an infinite array of slopes and exposures. Several years ago we were lucky to find a one-acre slope of twenty-seven-year-old Cabernet Franc vines on Rancho Chimiles, a stunning hillside vineyard tended to by surfer/vineyardist Terry Wilson. These old vines are athletically proportioned, balanced but muscular. The wines they produce are similar in character. Whole berry fermentation using native yeasts, French oak barrel aging for 22 months, and bottling without fining or filtration, all help to coax the complex fruit flavors from these mature vines. In 2006 we have again blended in Cabernet Sauvignon from the nearby Coombsville district of the Napa Valley. The Cabernet Sauvignon brings breadth and added fruit density to the wine. The final blend of the 2005 Cerro Sur is 72% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon. In the glass, the wine exhibits aromas of exotic spice, cardamom, blackberry and candle wax. It is explosive on the palate, bringing rich flavors of cedar, fresh-picked summer fruits, chocolate truffles and candied fruits.

140 cases produced