2019 "Poetry" Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District
RELEASES SEPTEMBER, 2023
Accolades
100 points “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sails out of the glass with energetic scents of fresh blackcurrants, black cherries and black raspberries, plus hints of candied violets, dark chocolate, clove oil and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is exquisitely fine-knitted with tons of graceful nuances intertwined with the many shades of black fruits, accented by SO MANY minerals, finishing epically long and staggeringly gorgeous. WOW!” – Wine Advocate, Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Vineyard
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 soils atop fractured shale. Due to the stressful nature of the site, the small vines develop slowly and yield small flavorful berries.
Vintage
The 2019 vintage was a magnificent year for Napa Valley. A frost-free and uniform bud break was followed by a cool wet spring that included three inches of rain in May. Luckily, the rain didn’t affect set and the weather turned warm and sunny for the duration of spring. Summer conditions were moderate and ideal for slow and steady grape maturation. The wine shows exceptional balance with concentrated, ripe fruit complemented by bright acidity and supple, yet intense, structure. Optimal ripeness was achieved thanks to an early autumn of consistently warm, but not hot, days. The pristine ripening conditions allowed for very intense fruit flavor concentrations.
Winemaking
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, 80% of which were new, the blend was selected from our best lots of the Poetry Vineyard.
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