2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The Vineyards

All of the grapes were grown on our La Jota vineyard estate, located high upon a volcanic Howell Mountain plateau overlooking Napa Valley. Our unique spot, surrounded by pines, firs, oak and madrone trees, is characterized by cool-climate terroir and winds coming up the canyon. We choose a selection of our softer-textured Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard blocks to give this wine earlier approachability, while capturing full expression of La Jota's cool-climate terroir. The Merlot was chosen from a small block on the Meadow Vineyard, and the Petit Verdot was harvested from a small planting near the winery.

Winemaking

We hand-harvested the grapes into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing, and then brought them to our winery for hand sorting. After destemming and light crushing, the must was cold soaked for gentle color, flavor and tannin extraction. To bridle the "mountain tannins", Chris added small amounts of oxygen into the wine with three "splashing pump-overs" a day during the primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks. In-barrel malolactic fermentation rounded the acidity and softly integrated the vanillin character of the new French oak barrels. To further enhance the wine's elegance, we racked the wine five times during its 22 months of barrel aging.

Current Tasting Notes

Our 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon combines notable elegance with rich, mountain-fruit intensity. Ripe mountain blackberry, wild strawberry, mineral and forest-earth aromas lead to an expansive palate of dark cassis, espresso bean and sweet herb. We barrel-aged the wine in our winery's caves to mature flavors and weave in nuances of toasty French oak. A small blend of Merlot enhances the wine's plush texture and broad tannins, while a dash of Petit Verdot adds spice. To fully capture the wine's complex flavors, we bottled it without fining or filtration.