2014 BURLY Cabernet Sauvignon “Special Selection”
Tasting Notes
Dusty chocolate and black cherry aromas layered with bright fruit notes and oak. Velvety and intense, leading to dark cherry and boysenberry notes. Aromas of cassis and blackberries meld seamlessly with notes of chocolate, and anise. This is an elegantly structured wine with silkiness through the mid-palate and a persistent, juicy finish. Deep, coating tannins ensure that this wine will age beautifully in the cellar. The rich, plush mouthfeel elegantly transforms into sweetness by supple tannins and lovely oak integration. A wonderful mineral note shines through the whole experience. Layered, complex, and lingering, a true wine drinking experience. Wonderful now, this wine will benefit from further bottle aging reaching its peak in 4 to 6 years but drinkable for 14 years.
Making the Wine
The grapes came in small-berried, deep black-blue and loose on the clusters. Following a five day cold soak, the fermentation took seven days followed by a fourteen day extended maceration. After which the wine was pressed and transferred to small French Oak barrels for aging. The wine was bottled in Summer 2016 after twenty months of maturation in barrel and further aged in bottles for two additional years.
Special Selection
The winemaker tasted all 60 barrels and chose the best 8 barrels. These barrels exhibited plusher mouth-feels, and darker, stronger aromas. Enjoy!
Wine Facts
Harvest Date: | October 7, 2014 |
Bottled Date: | August 2016 |
Barrels | 100% New French Oak |
Alcohol: | 14.9% |
Brix: | 26.2° |
pH: | 3.78 |
Titratable Acidity: | 6.2 g/L |
Vineyard
Our Cabernet Grapes came from The Simpkins Vineyard in the Coombsville area just east of the city of Napa. The vineyard, while staying warm and dry, is generally a little cooler than many Napa Valley vineyards and therefore allows more hang-time for the grapes. This brings greater concentration and layering to the finished wine. The vineyard soil is rocky loam which provides good drainage and low nutrient concentration. Under these stresses, the vines work hard to produce a limited amount of fruit.
Weather
WIth an earthquake, the Napa Valley harvest started with a bang. In the midst of a drought, harvest started and ended earlier than usual. We picked our grapes 1 week ahead of the usual time.
Availability
750 ml bottle