Phoenix Vineyards

1995 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker's Notes:

Varietal %s: 86.0 %Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.6% Cabernet Franc, 5.7% Pinot Noir, 1.2% Merlot, 0.5% Sangiovese

Dates of Harvest: October 5th to November 15th

Brix at Harvest: 22.5 to 24.5 Brix

Length Ferment: 6-9 days with 6-8 days additional skin contact time

End Alcohol: 13.5%

Time in Oak: 20 months in a mix of new Am. Oak (10%) and 1&2 year old French Oak(30%) the balance in 4 year French and American

Bottling Date: July 14th, 1997 (No fining or filtration)

This wine marks a milestone for Phoenix Vineyards; it represents the 10th harvest since the planting of our first vines at the Estate vineyard. Half of the fruit came from our Estate holdings, the other from a handful of select vineyards in places like Carneros, the Coombsville area, and near Oakville in the heart of the Napa Valley. The goal was to make a wine of complexity and balance. The impact of these different areas can be seen in the ever changing character of the wine; with exposure to air many different elements will appear, In the same way the barrels were an important factor in the wine but we didnt want them to be dominant. Other winemakers may have used more new oak but we wanted the fruit from these many different facets of the Napa Valley to be expressed. As time goes on we will use more of our own grapes in this wine as we move entirely from the grapegrowers role into the winegrowers role. The blending goals for this wine were two-fold; not only to allow the structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon to stand out but to add breadth in the wine as well. This is why grapes like Cabernet Franc and Merlot as well as more unorthodox counterparts like Pinot and Sangiovese are present. At a young age this wine is showing very gracefully with much briary cassis! red fruit and traces of vanilla. It can be enjoyed now or over the next several years. ..well let you decide when.