2005 Cain Five Red Blend Napa Valley
2005 gave us plenty of “hang time” to allow the grapes to ripen gently. Unlike the yields on the valley floor, our yields in the Cain Vineyard were typically low. This is our most restrained wine since 1999. The cool weather on Spring Mountain preserves the firmness of the tannins and the freshness of the aromas. Because of the long “hang time,” we were able to include 14% Petit Verdot for optimum color and structure. We expect this wine to age gracefully for a long time.
The 2005 Cain Five shows the emphasis that we place on the palate feel: the texture of the tannins is extremely fine, yet distinctly present—like Shantung silk. The aromas are of fresh red cherries and exotic spices. It is gratifying to see how well this wine evolves in the open glass, which bodes well for the future. Today, you should decant the wine, and sip it carefully.
Our winemaking is simple: We believe that red wine is a partial extraction of the grape. Our goal is to get what we want and to leave the rest behind. At Cain, this means hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, and manual pressing. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, is blended early, is racked barrel-to-barrel, is egg-white fined, and is bottled without filtration.
ABOUT CAIN VINEYARD & WINERY
Cain Vineyard & Winery overlooks St. Helena from the top of Spring Mountain in the western hills of Napa Valley. The estate vineyard is planted to the five classic Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. We make three wines: Cain Cuvée; Cain Concept, representing the classical benchlands of the Napa Valley; and our signature blend, Cain Five.