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Vineyard
The Beckstoffer Georges III vineyard is located adjacent to Caymus, off the Silverado Trail in the renowned Rutherford subappellation of the Napa Valley. It was originally planted by Georges de Latour of Beaulieu Vineyard in 1928 and replanted by Andy Beckstoffer in 1994. Following his work identifying the differences between various Cabernet sauvignon clones, Anthony Bell spent many hours in this vineyard, introducing Clone 6 from budwood taken off BV’s block 4, where he conducted the clonal trials in 1980. Those vines are among the oldest in the Valley, and are planted in gravelly loam soils.
Vinification
The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 40% whole berries. Prior to yeasting with Bordeaux red yeast, we cold soaked for 72 hours, increasing the richness and intensity of the fruit character. Color extraction utilizes a combination of manual pump overs via a screen during the initial fermentation, with gentle cap irrigation as the wine goes dry. Following fermentation the wine went through malo-lactic fermentation in the presence of the skins while the wine macerated for up to three weeks. The free-run and press wines were kept separate. The wine was aged in 50% French oak, thin stave barrels for approximately 21 months and racked every other month to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins. With no filtration or fining, the wine was laid down in bottle for 12 months aging prior to release
Vintage Notes
The 2005 growing season began with wet weather, followed by a dry period in March. Rainfall continued well into spring with later than usual bloom and set, and we experienced unseasonable rain into June. The cool weather continued into summer with few heat spikes. As September approached we were concerned that the larger than normal crop would not mature as fog prevailed well into the harvest season, keeping daytime temperatures cool. In the end, the long cool growing season gave us excellent wines with beautiful structure, great color, and high natural acidity.
Tasting Notes
Our 2005 vintage is characterized by dark ruby color, firm supple tannins and concentrated flavors. The mild temperatures during the growing season combined with periodic warm spells allowed the grapes to slowly mature, giving long hang time and resulting in rich, flavorful grapes. Overtones of black cherry, currant and blackberry in combination with undertones of chocolate, coffee and pepper meld with the vanilla and cedar nuances of French oak in waves of complexity. On the palate, concentrated yet supple tannins, and crisp acidity lead to a lingering finish, and contribute to a finely balanced structure consistent with the classic Bordeaux style of our prior releases.
Technical Analysis
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, 100%, Jackson Clone
Source: Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley
Harvest Date October 5-31, 2005
Harvest Sugar 24.8 Brix
Harvest Acid 0.58 gm/100ml
Total Acid 0.71 gm/100ml
pH 3.81
Alcohol 14.2%
Aging 21 months in 92% French Oak, 8% American Oak, 100% new
Bottle Date August 2007
Production 1,164 six-bottle cases
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