2015 Signature Mtn Blend

98 pts Sunset International

In almost every single blending session for the Signature Mountain Blend, this was one of the unique vintages where both vintners Ralph and Phillip unanimously agreed on their favorite blends when tasting blind. They took a Right Bank approach once again making this blend predominantly a powerful Merlot - 81% comes from the 24-year old Rockwell Ridge estate vineyard vines (@ 1365 ft elevation on the slopes of Howell Mountain). The remaining 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, & 1% Malbec come from Pritchard Hill, Atlas Peak, and the Silverado Bench. In effect, this has culminated in more complexity and finesse than the 2014 predecessor. Some notably captivating aromas on the bouquet include dense vanillin, baking spices, leather, rose water, mocha, alluring luxardo cherries, White Rabbit Chinese candy, and a hint of forest floor. On the palate, it's bold, complex, opulent, and captivating with dense notes of blackcurrant, crème de cassis, dark cherry liqueur, pencil shavings, and a perennially focused coffee finish. It's the perfect combination of innocence and mastery. In fact, if one didn't know better, this could easily be mistaken for a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mother Nature in 2015 was not very nice to us, but evidently, this was a blessing in disguise. We experienced another drought year, shatter in the spring, and a heat wave with temperatures over 100° late in the season. Even with the atypical growing period, 2015 was yet another epic Napa Valley vintage where the stars aligned for us. Although we lost approximately 35% of our total yield due to shatter, the final fruit quality was SUPERB - and has created the best wine we have ever made! After waiting three years on a wait list, in 2015 we were also very fortunate to obtain First Growth fruit out of Oakville (adjacent to a very famous, iconic Napa Valley winery who charges $1000+ per bottle) to blend together with our ultra premium Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Pritchard Hill, and Silverado Bench fruit. We barrel-aged all five Bordeaux varietals in 90% new French and Hungarian oak for 23 months, adding elegant, balanced structure without overpowering the essence of the unique terroir. Furthermore, in 2015, we hired Andrew Opatz as our vineyard manager for our Rockwell Ridge estate vineyard who immediately got to work on improvements.

283 Cases Produced