Platinum Wines

The Poetry Vineyard, carved into a steep west-facing hillside, reaches from the highest elevations of the Stags Leap District appellation to the valley floor. This vineyard draws its uniqueness from shallow, volcanic soils atop fractured shale. Due to the stressful nature of the site, planted with high vine density and farmed to very low yields, the vines develop slowly and produce small flavorful berries.  The vineyard was designed by David Abreu and planted to legendary, proprietary heritage selections of Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which includes our cutting edge optical sorter and a slow, individual berry hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks by our unique crane system, which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pump overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. Following twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 82% of which were new, the blend was selected from our best lots of the Poetry Vineyard.

The deep garnet purple 2018 Poetry is already fully integrated, with its well appointed components all seamlessly leaping from the glass. Dark red and black currants, black raspberries, and candied violets form this elixir’s fruitier elements, while a bouquet of pretty ylang-ylang, jasmine, lilac and tuberose blossoms decorate the balmy perfume. The lush, effortless quality of this vintage show in this wine’s unified precision and heady sandalwood, cedar, loam, and rose petal notes fleck the long fresh finish.

-Christopher Tynan, Winemaker

Songbook is sourced from two of acclaimed viticulturist David Abreu’s personally-farmed properties: Thorevilos Vineyard, situated between the St. Helena and Howell Mountain AVAs, and Madrona Ranch, nestled in the foothills of the Mayacamas mountain range. These vineyards produce grapes of exceptional character resulting from proprietary clones, extremely low yields, and meticulous farming. The result is a winemaker’s dream.

In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which includes our cutting edge optical sorter and a slow, individual berry hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks by our unique crane system which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pump overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. This wine underwent twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 76% of which were new.

Our 2018 Songbook is simmering with coiled energy, and beneath its dark purple rim lies a gorgeous young elixir waiting to blossom. A chorus of currants, black licorice, bay laurel, walnut, and cedar fill the glass and are braided into a perfume of rose, melted tar, chocolate, and black truffles. Flavors of cassis, amaretto, black cherry, fruitcake, and mineral present across the broad-shouldered palate. It finishes on a long, silky, polished frame, while an encore of loam, wintergreen, and autumn leaf aromatic notes.

– Christopher Tynan, Director of Winemaking

Situated on the western Oakville bench, the celebrated Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard has gravelly loam soils with high mineral content derived from sedimentary deposits of the volcanic Mayacamas Mountains and the alluvial fan of the Napa River. The vineyard has low organic matter content and thorough drainage, which devigorates the vines and produces small berries that are ideal for wines with intense concentration. The site is warm and sunny throughout the day, but cooled by late afternoon breezes, producing ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with lovely acidity. The blocks that make up our blend represent a diverse array of the Beckstoffer To Kalon terroir and clonal selection, creating a unique and extraordinary wine from this critically praised site.

In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process which includes our cutting edge optical sorter, and a slow, individual berry hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks and wooden cuves by our unique crane system which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pump overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. This wine underwent twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 92% of which were new.

The comely perfume of the 2018 To Kalon rises effortlessly out of the glass and bursts with a flamboyant display of blackberries, violets, and a wave of sultry black cherry. The voluptuous entry of red and black licorice, Aztec chocolate, and black currants is imbued with spice notes of ancho chile, smoked cardamom, and cumin. This fully integrated and well-proportioned Cabernet has a seamless and fabulously complex finish offering up liquid mineral and loam notes that echo the terroir of To Kalon. The opaque purple potable finishes deep and saturated, with a lavish multi-layered depth and personality and wave of fresh acidity.