This wine exemplifies why Oakville is the premiere Napa Valley appellation for Cabernet.
Vineyard: Our TOR Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon hails from three exceptional vineyards in the Oakville appellation – Tench Vineyard, Double H Ranch Vineyard, and Renteria 360 Vineyard. With famous neighbors such as Screaming Eagle, Tench is in eastern Oakville where the Vaca Range and valley floor converge to form the Eastern Oakville Bench. Its signature rocky and nutrient deficient soils promote optimal vine stress producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Double H Ranch Vineyard is a small hillside vineyard on the western slopes of the Vaca Range directly below Dalle Valle. The iron rich site gives our 2021 Oakville its signature dark fruit and perfumed characteristics. Renteria 360 Vineyard is in the northeastern part of Oakville and has a long history of producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignons.
Winemaking: This is a barrel selection from three vineyards – Tench, Double H Ranch, and Renteria 360. As for all of our Cabernet Sauvignons, the individual lots were fermented on skins between two and three weeks in small tanks, matured for twenty months in Taransaud and Darnajou barrels, then bottled without fining and filtration.
Winemaker Tasting Notes: This wine perfectly represents why Oakville is the premiere appellation for Cabernet in the Napa Valley. It checks all the boxes, with a savory, umami element, a touch of mushroom and a hint of eucalyptus. The fruit is plentiful, with blackberry, chocolate covered cherry, blueberry pie and a graphite minerality. Baking spices of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg add an extra touch of complexity. A true champion of this vintage.
Vintage Report: The 2021 growing season began with January rains leading to a gentle, sunny spring. The summer was dry – the air clear and warm. By harvest, you could feel the excitement all over Napa Valley, with the potential of an excellent to possibly great vintage. Being a drought year, the crop was off 20% to 25%, but the forecast was for exceptional, concentrated wines. The clusters were uniformly small, providing high skin to juice ration giving the wines structure wrapped around a core of dense fruit. In the barrel these wines came together slowly, and by bottling, the forecast for exceptional wines was realized.
