2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is handcrafted with grapes from unique benchland vineyards representing the major sub-appellations of Napa Valley. The 2018 Cabernet was sourced with fruit from some of the most highly regarded winegrowers in Napa Valley—Vine Hill Ranch and Gamble Vineyards in Oakville, Bear Flats Vineyard in Calistoga, Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford, Bale Lane Vineyard in St. Helena, and Meteor Vineyard in Coombsville, while the Petit Verdot is from Perata Vineyard in Yountville. By deliberately sourcing fruit from this group of exemplary vineyards, this wine exhibits the full potential of what Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot can show in its flavors and textures, with vitality and finesse.

Etude’s philosophy remains steadfast and this Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted with very minimal winemaking intervention. The grapes were cold soaked for 3–5 days and fermented on their skins in open top fermenters. An extended maceration period followed fermentation to help modify the depth and mouthfeel of the wine, and to fully extract color, flavor, and aromatics. The young wine was then racked into small French oak barrels—using a selection of coopers and forests to accentuate the vineyard distinctions—where it aged for 20 months in 100% French oak (75% new). To maintain the unique characteristics of each vineyard, each block and lot was kept separate until final blending.