2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

BLEND
91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc

VINEYARDS
Beckstoffer-Vineyard Georges III, ToKalon, and Vineyard X; and Mast Ranch

APPELLATION
Napa Valley

WINEMAKING

• Extended maceration of the skins
• Native yeast and malolactic fermentation
• Quarterly racking during barrel aging
• Bottled unfiltered

BARREL AGING
18 months in French oak Bordeaux chateau ferre barrels (60% new)

ALCOHOL
14.5% by volume

RELEASE DATE
November, 2006

BOTTLING DATE
July, 2005

PRODUCTION
4,278 cases

CELLARING
This wine should develop complexity with five years in the bottle and hold for at least five years after that.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES
The 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon blend is made up of a few of our best lots from vineyards in Oakville, Oak Knoll District and Rutherford. Weather in spring created such poor set that there was very little Merlot to use for blending in 2003. The Cabernet Sauvignon crop was not affected and the wines turned out very dense and concentrated. A few barrels of our best Cabernet Franc lot went into the blend to round out the mouthfeel and add a little aromatic complexity.