2006 Luna Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Luna Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon VINEYARD Our 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is composed primarily of grapes from 2 hilltop vineyards on Atlas Peak. 63 percent of the Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a sunlit vineyard planted in Aiken Series volcanic soils, growing at an elevation of 2,200 feet. The other portion of the Cabernet grapes come from a vineyard at 1,700 feet facing east on a severely sloping hillside on the back edge of Atlas Peak. We blended 13 percent Howell Mountain Merlot for softness, and added 2 percent of Atlas Peak Petit Verdot for muscle. 2006 was a cooler growing year resulting in a later harvest than expected. This growing season benefited the grapes with a longer hang time prior to harvest. We picked our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in late October.

WINEMAKING In 2006, the hallmark of the vintage is the higher natural acids, which forecasts the excellent cellaring potential of this wine. We fermented these grapes for two weeks at warm temperatures and followed with three-week maceration, extracting maximum ripe flavors and supple tannins. The wine was blended in April, 2008 adding Merlot and Petit Verdot. After aging 20 months in 72% new French oak barrels the wine was bottled, unfined in June, 2008.

TASTING NOTES The deep blackberry color carries through on the nose, mingled with blueberries and anise. On the palate, there are more black fruits and graphite combined with a lush, velvety texture. The bright fruit flavors complement dusty tannins on the finish, like fine dark chocolate sprinkled with raspberries. Our 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a great deal of finesse, and we can expect it to be at its peak from 2016 through 2020.