The Experience
Aroma: Sweet black cherry, cassis, black currant jam and red raspberry fruits with a hint of anise. oneysuckle, tobacco and forest floor nuances add dimension along with the cedar, and spicy nutmeg of the oak.

Palate: I ntense at entry with bright sweet fleshy currant, blackberry, and cassis fruits. Hints of dark chocolate and licorice add complexity to the fleshy black fruits. The flavors build into a rich, full bodied mid palate which has a mouth feel that is viscous and harmonious. Round polished tannins linger on the finish.

The Vineyard
Nestled into a hidden canyon in the prestigious Oakville appellation, Vine Cliff Winery boasts one of the most desirable locations in the Napa Valley. The surrounding hillsides above the Silverado Trail are home to the stunning vineyards that produce the grapes for rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons. The vineyard consists of 14 individual vineyard blocks ranging from steep hillside terraces, to the flat rocky red soil of the “Oakville Bench” at 400 feet above the valley floor. The combination of diverse terrain, low yields and impeccable farming has produced grapes with incredible flavor and concentration. Five Cabernet Sauvignon clones are planted around the estate, each one giving us a unique aroma and flavor profile to work with when assembling our blends. The 2005 growing season began in late spring with cool rainy weather. The long summer was very moderate and encouraged extra vine growth and increased cluster and berry size. The extra growth required constant work in the vineyard thinning shoots, thinning clusters, removing excess leaves and top canes. The long cool season was perfect for developing grapes with good maturity and flavors and with the sugar levels coming in slightly lower than in past vintages. We look forward to the resulting wines having great elegance and balance.

Winemaking
Gentle fruit handling, small batch fermentations, and attention to detail, describes the way we handle our grapes at Vine Cliff. Our grapes are hand picked at night or in the early morning, which allows cold fruit for processing. Individual vineyard blocks were de-stemmed separately into small stainless steel fermentation tanks. The grapes were cold soaked for two days before the must was warmed and the fermentation initiated. Smaller than usual berries coupled with low juice to skin ratios gave us copious flavor and tannin concentration in the must. In order to get the extraction of flavors and concentration of fruit, without the extraction of harsh tannins, we used warm fast fermentation techniques, with relatively short maceration time. Our final Oakville blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. The final blend was aged in Chateau style French oak barrels for 18 months prior to bottling.

Wine Facts
Harvest dates: September 30 th ~ October 24 th , 2005
Growing region: Oakville, Napa Valley
Cases produced: 1072 cases
Bottling date: May 10 th , 2007

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