2014 Amulet

Winemaker Notes

Located on the eastern edge of Oakville in the Vaca Mountain Range, Oakville Ranch Vineyard is 330 acres of rugged land with plantings dating back to 1989. Of the 66 planted acres, we focus on two blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2018 Napa Valley vintage. With a full dose of afternoon sun and a cool afternoon breeze from San Pablo Bay, the vines are protected from excess heat. The result is ideal for small grape clusters—producing wines of unique depth and elegance. The land is farmed by Phil Coturri, who is known for organic farming methods and a philosophy that balance in the vineyard yields balance in the glass. This is a certified organic farm that uses seasonal cover crops, insectaries, and nesting boxes for native birds.

About Winery

Brought up to respect the land and its fruit, Tuck naturally sought out the practice of viticulture, learning from the masters around him. Much like his father before him, he is a farmer first. It was only after he mastered the art of first craft that he turned his attention to a second craft—winemaking. Over three decades after he first set foot in the valley, Tuck bottled his first wine. For him, it was not a whim or passion project, but the culmination of a life lived on the land, among the vines.  

Today, Tuck is one of the few Napa stewards who is both a grower and a winemaker. It is this pedigree that makes his approach different: the process begins with the land itself and culminates with a reverence for the winemaking traditions of the past—sharing successes and failures among fellow craftsmen and appreciating the fruits of their labor over a beautiful bottle of wine.