Composition: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Single-Vineyard: The Mueller Family Vineyard consists of five distinct hillside blocks planted on 1.4 acres at an elevation of 1,000 feet on top of the Napa Valley’s Diamond Mountain District, with slopes of 5 – 30%.
Soils: Hambright Series. The surface layer is gravelly loam, over rocky, cobbled clay-loam subsoil, ideal conditions for the cultivation of red Bordeaux varietals.
Winemaking: Following destemming, the must was cold-soaked for 72 hours prior to onset of fermentation. After a maceration of 22 days, free-run wine was then aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, 65% of which were new.
Growing Season: After a relatively warm winter, the growing season began early,
...more... staying ahead of average from budbreak through harvest. Variable spring weather and ongoing drought conditions for the third consecutive year led to lower-than-normal yields. A small crop of highly-concentrated fruit resulted in very focused and balanced wines that express their hillside origin.
Tasting Notes: Opaque and deep ruby red in appearance, the 2015 Mueller Family Cabernet Sauvignon delivers from the start, with ripe, intense and compelling aromas of cassis, kirsch, blackberry, clove and red licorice. Very nuanced hints of forest floor and cedar linger in the background. Most remarkable of all is the coverage on the palate, which is complete and seamless, with velvety tannins that add significant depth and breadth to this wine. The French oak is remarkably well-integrated, adding notes of exotic vanilla, cocoa and spice that carry the wine into a very long, lingering finish that suggests a long life in bottle.
Bottling: June 2017
Volume produced: 159 cases
