2013 Palmaz Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes

The resulting wine exhibits exceptional concentrations both in structure and aromatics. At first glance, the nose exhibits an inviting whiff of raspberry liquor that is anchored by wet stones drying on a hot summer day. The fruit flavors are a parade of black and blue fruits that slowly transfer to sweet black tea with a gentle yet firm finish. This wine is a perfect excuse to dust off the decanter and stash a few bottles in the back of your cellar if you can resist drinking every bottle young.

About Winery

Palmaz Vineyards’ winemaking takes place in a flawlessly engineered maze of tunnels and domes carved into rock at the base of Napa’s Mount George.

The winery is built into an 18-story cavern in the flank of Mount George, providing it with not only all the benefits of gravity-flow winemaking but also the natural temperature control of a cave. By eliminating mechanical pumps from the winemaking process, gravity-flow design minimizes the turbulence that damages wines’ molecular structure. In 1881, gold rush pioneer Henry Hagan founded the Cedar Knoll Winery. His wines would go on to be served at the San Francisco Opera House and could be found on the dining room tables of San Francisco's high society. The winery was abandoned after the death of Henry Hagan and the onset of Prohibition. The Palmaz family purchased the Hagan property in the late 1990s and promptly set about crafting premium wines from their 45 distinct vineyard blocks, while also restoring the once grand estate to its former glory. The 2013 Cabernet bottling is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc aged 20 months in 89% new French oak.