Vintage
2006
Varietal
85% Cabernet Sauvignon
7% Petit Verdot
4% Merlot
4% Malbec
Appellation
Oak Knoll District of
Napa Valley
Estate Vineyard
76% Hillspring
24% Main Ranch
Harvest
September 27–October 28
Oak
19 months in 90% French
and 10 American
Alcohol
14.8%
Bottled
August-September 2008
The Vintage
One of the longest growing seasons in our 40 years in Napa Valley began with a New Year’s flood, continued with an unusually cool, wet spring, then segued into a very mild summer punctuated by a record July heat wave. August and September were ideal with morning fog, mild afternoons, and cool, crisp evenings, while October was dominated by unseasonably cool weather which slowed ripening, elongated the harvest and tried our patience!
The Wine
Deep, dark, and delicious. Black cherry, black plum, and fig, along with a tongue-tingling acidity, balance the inherent savory nature of our hillside fruit. Grippy, lip-smacking tannins lead into a peppery finish. And everywhere, there is chocolate. Mmm.
Food Affinities
Brown mole, especially from the master chef of Frontera Grill fame, Rick Bayless, would be the perfect accompaniment to this wine. Also try with fine cuts of beef and lamb, and for the more patient among us – stews.
99 POINTS ~ Cellar Selection Vintage 2005
“This is nearly perfect….monumental wine whose sheer power is matched only by its grace and refinement…”
Wine Enthusiast
Winner: Best Red Bordeaux Varietal in North America
Vintage 2002 “Powerful, classy oak nose. Rich, plump, full-bodied, powerful and concentrated. Imposing, spicy, long and seductive. Classic.”
2007 Decanter World Wine Awards Decanter Magazine
92 POINTS
Vintage 2001 “…incisively fruity and deceptively deep… a solid success… a wine of real polish and very fine balance.”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
Vintage 2001 “For the epitome in cabernet sauvignon, you can hardly find one better than the 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Bob Hosmon, Syndicated Columnist
