Winter Release Ballard Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Library Release)
2015

Winemaker’s Notes

Unmistakable mountain-grown character. Dark, powerful, highly-expressive aromas of brilliant purity and deep nuance. Wild berry, cassis and black cherry then woodsy complexity, wild mint, bay laurel and sweet truffle. Deep, plush mouthfeel, supple and mouth filling. Red and black cherry liqueur, crème de cassis, clove and cocoa. Layer upon layer of ripe fruit extract that completely buffers the prodigious mountain tannins. Firms-up with air, becoming linear and focused with sleek acidity and lingering cocoa nib flavor. Drink after 2019.

From a mountain-top meadow hidden in the forest comes the winemaking team’s favorite Cabernet of the vintage, a wine for those with patience, for those willing to work a little harder for a greater reward. This wine is our near-perfect vision of what organically-farmed, small-lot, Spring Mountain Cabernet can and should be. Starting out plush, deep and layered then gradually shifting to woodsy, soily and complex, only to finish chewy, sinewy and youthfully taut. When we set out to make single vineyard mountain-grown Cabernet, we had this style exactly in mind. The wine gradually unfurls its deep complexity then tightens slightly once more, not giving too much away, hinting at what rewards lie ahead with time in the cellar. This bottling represents our favorite six barrels of the vintage—the balance makes a critical contribution to the Napa blend—so there’s not much to go around, but it’s a wonderful expression of proper old-school Cabernet and can be aged for 20+ years. Do not miss this wonderful bottling.

Andy Smith