Do March showers bring April flowers? Just asking because we’re absolutely soaked in the Napa Valley with 40-plus inches of rain since November. As we wait for the sun and bud break in the vineyards, we’re happily celebrating our Spring debut of three new and very limited production wines, including the first from the 2021 vintage.
The 2021 Assemblage Cab Franc blend is finally back following its first release in 2019. This is our annual “summer red” – a wine that is a little lighter in style. It’s intended to be slightly chilled and enjoyed during the warm months. For us, it’s our barbecue wine. The Cab Franc can really manage the heat from spicy foods too. This vintage is 46% Cab Franc, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot – from the Wildcat and Saffron Vineyards on Napa’s Mt Veeder. Savor the flavors of bright red fruit with a brambly backbone, bright acidity, well-integrated tannins and a smooth, lingering finish. We only made 68 cases.
Next is a true California Monopole wine because it’s from a single vineyard, a single block, a single varietal and a single clone. The 2019 Garçon Cabernet Sauvignon is named for a single lot of clone 169 from our home vineyard on Mt Veeder. We lovingly refer to this clone as The Bratty Boy – Garçon means boy in French – because it has an edge that provides the tannins and structure for our flagship Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. Clone 169 typically makes up about 40% of the Mount Veeder Cab. In 2019, the clone was showing incredible backbone AND balance as we tasted it in barrel, so we decided it was worthy of a standalone bottling. We aged it for 26 months in French oak followed by a year in bottle. This Garçon is tenacious with moderate tannins and full-bodied with black fruit, toasty oak, baking spices, and finish that’s long and smooth. We made 90, and it’s a special bottling that we won’t make every year.
Rounding out this release is our first sparkling wine. The 2020 Cuvée Majuscule is a true Blanc de Noir of 100% Pinot Noir from a vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. Made in the traditional méthode champenoise style, the extended skin contact gave it a gorgeous salmon color. You’ll smell bright fruits with strawberry, a little apricot and toasty oak undertones. It starts out bright and lively from the refined acidity, then you get toasty light crème brûlée followed by a lingering and very satisfying finish. It’s a celebration in the glass, and a bottle looking for a celebration with you. We made just 72 cases.
We’re excited to share these beautiful wines with you.
Cheers!
Greg & Jeff, proprietors
