2019 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

TWI96 The single-varietal 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for nearly 3 years in barrel, is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with earthy/savory notions of tree bark, black truffle, dried herbs, and Indian spices leading to a core of stewed plums, redcurrant jelly, and boysenberries plus nuances of tobacco leaf, dried mint, and fallen leaves. The medium to full-bodied palate is fantastically elegant and refined, with red berry sparks lifting the dense black fruits supported by plush tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and minerally. This is impressive!

Our hillside and valley floor estate vineyards in Wooden Valley are at elevations of 700 to 1000 feet. Soil types on the ranch which are similar to the Rutherford Bench and the mountainous regions of Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill and Mount Veeder called for several different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon on a number of different rootstocks upon planting in 1986.  The vines are dry-farmed and vertically trellised.
Fermentation of Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon occurs in both open and closed top fermenters.  Certain lots are allowed to macerate on their skins for up to three weeks following fermentation.  This technique produces a wine with softer, more integrated tannins, which carry fruit and oak nuances through to the palate.  The wine is racked into 70% new French oak barrels for a period of 34 months.  The wine is lightly filtered and then bottled.