Tasting Notes:
Our 2017 Benchland Select is a classic Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon expression of dark fruit, roundness, texture and a lingering finish. Aromas of dark blackberry, boysenberry and mocha lead onto the palate, where concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry and fig dance with firm tannins for a rich blackberry and dark chocolate finish. Pair with hearty stews, steaks on the grill, or fire-roasted vegetables. Enjoy now, or age for another 7 to 10 years.
Vineyards:
This blend of grapes comes from the benchlands of our vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford—including Hill Ranch, which surrounds the Rutherford home of Jack and Dolores Cakebread. Benchlands are the narrow regions that mark the transition from the valley floor to mountain slope. This geographic position offers distinctive soil profiles for strong root development. Mountain shade that protects grapes from extreme conditions, allowing them to ripen slowly and steadily. The vineyards receive bright eastern exposure in the morning and cool shade from the Mayacamas mountain range in the afternoon. Gravelly benchland “bale loam” soils provide good drainage but also retain good water in the root zone. Slight differences in mesoclimate and soil structure—Rutherford sits just to the north of Oakville—give this blend of two appellations a distinctive, opulent complexity.
Vintage:
After several years of drought, we were happy to see ample rainfall in Napa Valley during the winter of 2017. Cool spring weather gave us ideal conditions for flowering and “berry set”—when each tiny flower turns into a young grape. Temperatures were moderate through the summer, for slow, even ripening. Toward harvest, the temperatures turned warmer, delivering small clusters with tremendous varietal character and balanced acidity.
Winemaking:
After harvesting our Benchland Select grapes from multiple vineyard blocks containing five superior cabernet sauvignon clones, we gently destemmed the clusters and fermented each lot in small, stainless steel tanks that give us optimum color, flavor and tannin extraction. Our winemaker Stephanie Jacobs selected yeast strains, fermentation temperatures, maceration techniques and barrel aging regimens according to the unique personality of each lot, capturing the finest attributes of each in the final blend. Our 2017 Benchland Select spent 22 months aging in French oak barrels, 60% new, prior to bottling in August 2019.
- Grape Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol Content: 14.9%
- Total Acidity: 0.67 G/100ml
- pH: 3.62
- ** Only 6 in Stock **