2017 S. R. Tonella Cellars Red Blend Rutherford Napa Valley

Our Reserve BDX Proprietary Blend expresses the complex harmony of luxurious mouthfeel, well rounded dark fruit & cocoa finalized by opulent lingering tannins.
Vineyards: Rutherford Bench, Oakville Bench, Stag’s Leap. Composition: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Malbec Cooperage: 100% French Oak, 80% New. Harvest Date: October 6-12.Total Cases Produced: 748 

Local Neighboring Vineyards: Scarecrow, Inglenook, Staglin.
Featured at over 20 Michelin Restaurants including four 3 Star Michelin establishments 

We were blown away by the quality the first time we tasted Tonella’s Cab – outstanding purity of fruit and depth of flavors. This is a very serious wine that is known mostly to wine business insiders and a few winery members. We are being offered this at a very competitive price!

Located in the heart of Rutherford in Napa Valley is the estate vineyard and backbone of S. R. Tonella Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. To our knowledge, the J.J. Ponti – Tonella property is one of only a handful of commercial vineyards farmed by hand in Napa Valley. It is located on prestigious Rutherford benchland renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon. Vines grown in this soil are deeply rooted in the ground, producing rich and complex grapes.
The vineyard is cultivated in a vertical cordon style; the vines are supported on their own with no trellis system, resulting in a strong, healthy vineyard. This is not the easiest, most modern or highest-yielding system, but is one of heritage, resulting in the most sustainable, highest-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the source.

S. R. Tonella Cellars is the culmination of over 100 continuous years in the wine business in Rutherford, Napa Valley. Our purpose is simply to make history by crafting the best premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc & Rosé wines that represent the best of Rutherford and Napa Valley.  We carefully cultivate our wine at every stage from the vineyards to the final enjoyment in the glass.

The Tonella family has been growing grapes for 4 Generations receiving 92-99 point ratings for the wineries they were supplying, so Steve Tonella, thought it was about time to extend the heritage to produce the wine. He has been tending the vineyards since he was 6 years old and making wine since the 90’s.  The first release under S. R. Tonella Cellars began in 2010. 

VINTAGE
The near-perfect 2017 growing season started early, saw ideal weather conditions throughout and wrapped up as the valley’s first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October 14. Thanks to a relatively steady and mild July and August and then a series of warm days at the end of the growing season, vineyards were able to progress to perfect ripeness.