2021 Pilcrow ‘Ghost Block Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

WSI96 TWI96 Deep garnet-purple in color, the single-varietal 2021 Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon sashays out with gregarious notes of Morello cherries, black raspberries, and redcurrant preserves leading to hints of red roses, iron ore, underbrush, and cinnamon stick. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant and racy, delivering shimmery red and black berry layers with ripe, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. This comes from an organic-certified single vineyard in Yountville and was aged 22 months in French barriques, 30% new. 242 cases were made.

Estate Notes: The Ghost Block vineyard is a unicorn of sorts, being a ‘mountain’ vineyard on the valley floor. The old vines of Ghost Block sit on the side of Yountville Hill—a mountaintop that formerly resided high above the Stags Leap District in the Vaca Mountains. Some eight million years ago, in a cataclysmic event, a portion of the Vacas toppled, tossing a peak to the west. This relocated peak (Yountville Hill) got turned on its side, revealing a unique, vertical bedding of rarely-ever-exposed Napa Tertiary Volcanics.

Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon interprets this soil construct with soft, plush tannins and friendly, bright acidity. She is both generous and poised. Down-valley cool mornings add a touch of sandalwood and rose petal to the varietal traits of cherry and cassis.