2006 Stephanie Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5L
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A complex, layered wine that unfurls with notes of coffee, tobacco, clove, cranberry and dried cherry, with just a touch of mint. The broad palate is finessed with fine-grained tannins that persist through the mocha-dusted finish.
Wine Enthusiast, by Steve Heimoff, 96 points:
Editor's Choice Classic and harmonious, a very solid Napa 100% Cabernet that's dry and firmly tannic in the mouth. Feels balanced, harmonious, ageworthy, a wine without seams or faults. Fruity, but not overly so, with the blackberries and black currants generously balanced by herbs, minerals and cedar. Very classic and noble wine, and one to cellar through at least 2018.
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Wine Specs
Vintage
2006
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Napa Valley
Harvest Date
Various
Sugar
Various
Acid
0.59
Aging
28 Months
Fermentation
cold soak in small fermenters, with periodic punch downs and pump overs
Bottling Date
11/2/08
Alcohol %
14.8
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
A deeply complex and layered wine that unfurls with enticing notes of coffee, tobacco, clove cranberry and dried cherry, with just a touch of mint. The abundant palate is finessed by luxurious, fine-grained tannins that persist through the mocha-dusted finish.
Vineyard Notes
Hestan Vineyards is a 56-acre vineyard located at the base of Okell Hill on Napa Valley's eastern slopes. Individually farmed blocks planted to all five Bordeaux varietals--Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec--blanket the rolling hills overlooking the vineyard's 11-acre pond.
Production Notes
The 2006 vintage featured wet weather that continued late into spring, delaying budbreak. By early June, the sun came out and vines began to bloom and set fruit. Mid-July presented a record-setting ten day heat wave, and the heat helped catch the vines up to a "normal" place in the growing season. Somewhat cooler weather arrived in August and continued throughout harvest, allowing for moderately paced and deliberate ripening and a long harvest period.
Winemaker Notes
Winemaker Jeff Gaffner vinifies each grape lot separately to retain individual block and varietal characters. Once in the cellar, the grapes are de-stemmed and cold soaked for 2-3 days in small fermenters, and then inoculated with a low rate of cultured yeast. Periodic punch downs and pump overs encourage softer extraction at lower alcohol levels. Afer pressing, the wines are sent to barrel to finish primary and secondary fermentation. Once finished, they are racked off the lees and returned to the same barrels for a total of 24 months aging.
Other Notes
A late, cool harvest ripened just in time for success, with wines achieving nice depth and flavor.