2012 Foretell Cabernet Sauvignon

Varietal:  90% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Cabernet Franc

Appellation:  Spring Mountain District

Clone: 7 cabernet sauvignon, clone 214 cabernet franc

Harvest:  The cabernet sauvignon grapes were harvested on October 18, 2012 at a sugar of 26.8 brix.  The acid was 4.5 TA and 3.85 pH

Vinification:  The grapes were destemmed and the whole berries chilled down to 50 degrees for a three-day cold soak.  The fermentation was inoculated with D254 yeast and punched down twice daily for a total of 20 days of maceration.  Native malolatic fermentation was subsequently completed in barrel.

Aging: The wine was aged in for 27 months and was racked three times during the aging process.

Barrels: The wine was aged in 50% new French Oak using tight grain 36 month aged wood toasted to Medium Plus from the finest cooperages in France.

Tasting:  Black currant, anise, cedar, and allspice with mission fig, crème de cassis, bay laurel and boysenberry jam aromas.  Sweet candied black fruits are forward with a broad rich mid-palate densely packed with chewy rich tannins.  The long finish is wrapped up with caramel and dark cocoa.

Prediction:  The Spring Mountain District is the hillside AVA in Napa Valley where I spent my entire career.  The cabernet sauvignon grown in these hills has a depth and intensity balanced with an elegance that is not found in any other area of Napa.  The 2012 Foretell Cabernet Sauvignon is a culmination of my history with the vineyards that I have worked with for over 15 years.  This wine is perfect now with decanting and a tomahawk rib eye, but will go the distance and reward the collector for at least another 18 years.