Winemaking Update

The wines we release for our club members are always special but this limited batch feels particularly so. The trio spans multiple appellations, climbs to nearly 2,000 feet in elevation and includes a special wine made exclusively for you. Cabernet Sauvignon continues to amaze us, even after so many growing seasons spent shepherding the year’s harvest towards world-class wine. A variety of offerings like this reminds us of just how vast, varied, and vibrant the Napa Valley is.

First up, is the Stags Leap 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. A rare re-release that’s evolved beautifully since it was first bottled. This is a stunning, home turf wine made from select rows from our vineyards in the Stags Leap District. It’s an iconic wine that will always demonstrate a bit of pride, on top of showing how well our wines age and the benefit of eight years in our cellar. It’s tasting wonderful right now, but if you want to lay it down for another five to ten years, your patience will be rewarded.

Next, the Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from 2019. We take pride in crafting quality wines and purposely haven’t produced this release since our 2016 vintage due to the impact of the California fires from 2017 through 2020. Our intent with this wine is to showcase the magic that resides within this rugged appellation. The fruit comes from our Alta Vineyard on Howell Mountain set above the fog line at 1,800 feet. Such great heights spell a tremendous diurnal shift, leading to balanced ripening and sustained acidity. The resulting wine smells of the mountain air it was raised in and shows intriguing espresso, blackberry, and stone fruit notes.

Lastly, a real rarity in the 2019 Contemplate Cabernet Sauvignon. You may recall a Contemplate red blend in previous years featuring Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot at the forefront of the blend. Fast forward to the 2019 vintage where we crafted this special Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the infinite storm of beauty that is harvest in Napa Valley. Enjoy it not only because it’s unique and small-batch, but because it can make any steak night sing (I love it with flank steak, personally).

We love this time of year in wine country, with the promise of another vintage just around the corner. There’s a lot of anticipation and the longer days nudge us outside, away from the cellar to check in on our beloved vineyard blocks.

Here’s to spring,

Josh Widaman
Estate Winemaker

 Viticulture Update

Howell Mountain lives up to its name, a towering site situated at 1,800 feet above the sea. Everything about it is mountainous, from the crisp air to the majestic terrain. Every time I hop out of my truck at this storied site, I’m greeted with a pureness in the air and an invigorating breeze. I must remind myself that there are so many worlds within worlds, even in a single valley. Winegrowing, of course, will never let me forget that a form of expression based on these wildly unique areas.

In case you can’t tell, Howell Mountain Vineyard is my favorite. That’s high praise, as all our sites offer so much, but this one and I share a special bond. From when we first planted here in 2006 (knees-deep in the soft and distinctive volcanic soil) to the 2019 bottle that’s in this shipment, it’s a vineyard that behaves in its own beautiful way. Very much on its own schedule, it’s always the latest to ripen and the latest to be harvested. But it’s always worth the wait. If I can’t get out to this one-of-a-kind vineyard, I do the next best thing and pour myself a glass of the wine that bears its name. At first sip, I’m transported to this sun-kissed stretch of vineyards set against Howell Mountain’s Las Posadas forest.

Over the years, we’ve learned the ways of this site and how to farm it accordingly. We stopped using herbicides in 2015, a move that aligns better with the natural ecosystem. We’ve moved towards organic composting and the soil could not be more alive and happy. The vines look healthier and the leaves are a richer green. These tweaks in farming allow us to align better with the distinctive character of the place (fewer inputs getting in the way) and ensure that it will stay that way for many vintages and generations to come.

So if you feel like doing a little armchair travel, I suggest opening this bottle and hiking up to Howell Mountain (if only in your mind). You’ll love the rugged beauty on display, bursting out of the glass like an ancient volcano.

Cheers!

Gustavo Aviña
Viticulture Director