Wines

Our Sauvignon Blanc is a lively, yet elegant, expression of this varietal in Napa Valley. The primary vineyard source, located in eastern Rutherford, is home to old vines planted to a heritage Musqué clone and Sémillon, providing density, richness, and citrus notes. Two other old-vine vineyards, both in Calistoga, contribute to the blend, one planted to Sauvignon Blanc and the other to Sémillon. In addition, we include grapes from a cooler climate vineyard on the east side of Napa, imparting vibrant acidity and finesse to the wine. A vineyard in Chiles Valley, a small pocket in eastern Napa County, adds complexity with old vines of Sauvignon Vert planted in 1947. This year marks the second harvest of our fabulous young vines from our property in Calistoga. The estate grown Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musqué add sumptuous floral notes and mouthwatering acidity to the blend.

The fruit was hand-harvested in the cool darkness of night and arrived at the winery at dawn. The grapes were then held in controlled conditions of low oxygen and cold temperatures. Our fruit underwent gentle, whole-cluster pressing which releases the delicate, prized juices from the clusters and creates a deeper level of complexity. The juice was fermented in 68% French oak barrels, 30% stainless steel tanks, and 2% concrete eggs. All fermentations were conducted at cold temperatures to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Upon reaching dryness, the wine was aged on its lees and underwent daily or weekly battonage.

The elegant and lively 2019 Sauvignon Blanc opens with a feast of ambrosial lemon curd, elderflower, bosc pear flesh, and apricots aromas. There is also delightful array of toasty brioche, coconut, and orange blossom notes reveling amongst the upper register. A beautifully bright acidity leads the entry with a nectar of citrusy key lime and grapefruit, followed nicely with pineapple, and honeydew melon flavors. The grand finish flourishes with pleasurable hints of marzipan, oyster shell, honeycrisp apple, fresh mint, and green tea.

The grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours, and immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered hand sorting process. The whole berries were gently gravity-delivered to tank by our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punch downs. Extended maceration, ranging from three to four weeks, fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to build mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak, for twenty-one months.

The 2018 Claret showcases all the deep, lush accessibility of the vintage. Its attractive perfume scents the glass with violets, blueberries, and warm marionberries. The entry is full of appetizing and concentrated black cherries, warm red licorice, and wild raspberries. The lovely balance inherent in this claret is framed by lavender, cinnamon, cumin, and talc notes. Coating and long, this beauty of a wine finishes with a succulent display of red apple tart, puff pastry, and lingonberry jam.

The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend are from our Twin Peaks estate vineyard, while the Cabernet Franc hails from acclaimed viticulturist David Abreu’s Madrona Ranch. The vineyards are farmed with meticulous attention to detail, maintaining yields at sparse levels—ranging from two to three tons per acre. The wine is composed of just a few of our best lots from these most cherished sites.

Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours. The freshly-harvested fruit immediately underwent rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which included our cutting-edge optical sorter. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank using our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 66% of which was new, for twenty-two months.

Dark ruby colored, the 2018 High Fidelity displays a succulent assortment of complex and intriguing aromas and flavors. It starts with a fragrance of sage, steeped Oolong black tea, rhubarb, and melted black licorice notes. There’s a rush of red currants, fruitcake, cinnamon candies, and black truffle flavors across the palate. The texture is fine and complete and essence of tobacco leaf, minerals, and salted caramel glide across the lush fresh finish.

Located at the base of Diamond Mountain in the western portion of the Calistoga appellation, our Calistoga estate vineyard has twenty acres planted mostly to Cabernet Sauvignon. The gravelly loam soils are volcanic in origin with alluvial influence made evident by copious amounts of water-rolled gravel and large cobbles. While Calistoga can experience quite hot daytime temperatures, our estate is protected from the afternoon sun by Diamond Mountain to our west. Cool breezes from the Pacific are drawn in by the narrow gap between Napa and Sonoma Counties, further mediating the hot days. The result is powerful, rich Cabernet with balanced acidity.

Hand harvested in the cool dark of night, the fruit was brought to the winery and subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting-edge optical sorter, with a goal of eliminating less-than-perfect berries.  The selected fruit was gently delivered to tank via gravity by our crane system, retaining perfect, whole berries.  Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed by a combination of délestage and pump overs.  Extended maceration, ranging from three to four weeks, fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing us to build structure and wine complexity.  The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 82% of which were new, for twenty-one months.

A dark and brooding wine, the 2018 Calistoga is an aromatic amalgam of seductive floral and soil elements.  There are candied violets, lavender, rosemary flower notes that weave throughout the bouquet, but with time, loamy soil, rocks, and petrichor scents permeate the fragrance.  The flavors are a multitudinous array of black winter truffle, cocoa, licorice, with hints of new leather and cumin spiced grilled steak.  Fresh acidity carries the precise, almost effortless finish along, while the copious flavors intermingle and tempt the lucky taster for another sip.

Exceptional high-elevation vineyards in the Howell Mountain appellation produce intensely concentrated grapes for this wine. Soils are volcanic in origin and consist of two main types: the first is decomposed volcanic ash called tufa, and the second is red volcanic rock and clay that is high in iron. Both are nutrient poor, which stresses the vines, producing intense and structured wines from small clusters and berries. The altitude, climate, and soils combine to create a classic mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with incredible concentration, texture, and structure.

Hand harvested in the cool early morning hours, the fruit was immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting-edge optical sorter, with a goal of eliminating less-than-perfect berries.  The selected fruit was gently delivered to tank via gravity by our crane system, retaining perfect, whole berries.  Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed by a combination of délestage and pump overs.  Extended maceration, ranging from three to four weeks, fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing us to build structure and wine complexity.  The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 35% of which were new, for twenty-one months.

The inky dark 2018 Howell Mountain’s aromas and flavors echo its lofty terroir with an extravagant display of pine forest floor, bay laurel leaf, and California buckeye flower fragrance.  Gobs of cassis, dark chocolate shavings, warm fig, and plum flavors form the captivating fruitier elements and nori wrapper, bone broth, and wild chanterelle mushroom flavors lay beneath. Seamlessly integrated, with fresh acidity, fine grained tannins, this elixir will drink well in its youth, yet last a lifetime. – Christopher Tynan, Director of Winemaking

Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from exceptional, low-yielding vineyards with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyards have late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Both sites are planted to extraordinary old vines on a steep incline with historic Napa field selections which produce age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume.

Hand harvested in the cool early morning hours, the fruit was immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting-edge optical sorter, with a goal of eliminating less-than-perfect berries. The berries were gently gravity-delivered to tank using our distinctive crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted five days and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, punch downs, and pump overs. Extended maceration for four weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles. The wine underwent twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels.

The 2017 Diamond Mountain is a special elixir, akin to a fine perfume. Incredibly dark and brooding, the explosive aromatics offer up blueberry liquor, juniper, pine, and loamy gravel. The full-bodied mouthfeel is filled with decadent chocolate ganache, fig jam, tobacco, tar, and minerals. The succulent and savory finish is a heavenly fresh and mouthwatering experience that crescendos with generous amounts of sweet tannin and extract.

Our estate vineyard blocks are named after Cliff’s favorite rock songs and albums. The name of this blend is derived from The Who’s “Magic Bus” in our Poetry vineyard and from The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” in our Twin Peaks vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon in “Magic Bus” is planted in shallow volcanic soil and farmed to low yields, contributing structure, concentration and classic Stags Leap character to the backbone of the blend. “Nights in White Satin” is a block of Merlot that contributes a luxurious perfume, flavors of ripe, dark fruit, and plush texture.

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, 80% of which were new.

It’s as dark as midnight and delights the taster with deep rich cassis, candied violets, lilacs, blackberry, warm summer mulberries, and melted black licorice. The wine possesses a weighty, oily texture reminiscent of melted chocolate, grilled steak drippings, iron, fig, and medjool dates. The tannins are satin smooth with the elegance and energy of the vintage taking center stage on the finish. – Christopher Tynan, Winemaker

The fruit was sourced from the hillside terraces of our Poetry Vineyard, our Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighboring vineyards in the Stags Leap District. The wine is composed of small lots from our best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces boasting volcanic origins, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity.

Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours. The freshly-harvested fruit immediately underwent rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which included our cutting-edge optical sorter. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank using our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 32% of which were new, for twenty-one months.

The seamless and integrated 2018 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep purple colored love letter to our favored appellation. Its beautiful, scorched earth, blackberry, warm blueberries, cool slate, and dark chocolate aromas envelop the glass and are complexed with ancho chile, cumin, braised meat juices, and new leather notes. There’s a burst of black fruits and spring flowers on the palate followed by exquisitely polished and fine tannin that bring together all the layers in an impressive finish.

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, 66% of which are new.

The 2017 Songbook is a wonderful example of how the synthesis of great terroir and exquisite farming can create legendary wines in difficult vintages. The Madrona Ranch components lend gravel notes and pure cassis, wild blackberry, bay laurel, and liquorice root aromas and flavors. The Thorevilos Vineyard lots add damson plum, warm mission fig, juniper, and talc.  Precise and well defined, this young wine exudes a confidence and purity on the palate. The lasting finish struts with an array of citrus botanicals, beef blood, and the spices anise, cinnamon, and coriander.

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.