Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
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| Retail: | $144.00 |
| Savings: |
41% |
| Price: |
$85.04 |
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The Wine
The 1997 growing season was marked by extremes. Despite floods, early budbreak, heat waves and high yields, we made some of the most exciting wine in recent memory.
Early winter rainfall was abundant and we experienced flooding in some vineyards on New Year's day. Spring was dry and budbreak was the earliest in memory. Bloom was quite early and very fast and even. The quick bloom translated into high yields and even maturity. Veraison (the coloring and softening of the fruit) was about ten days early.
Summer came on with a vengeance and in the first week of August temperatures soared to as high as 111 degrees. Some young vines suffered, but the more established vineyards had deep enough roots to weather the heat. We picked a young Merlot vineyard on August 7th, but did not begin picking in earnest until September 4th, about a week early. As we began harvest, we discovered our yields were quite high and that all the vineyards were ripe at once. These factors made the scheduling of picking and crushing very challenging. Weather conditions in September were dicy at times with a few minor showers, threats of rain and mild heat spells. In general, excellent harvest and ripening weather prevailed and we were done picking by September 29th.
Winemaking:
The 1997 wines were fermented in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 86 degrees. Malo-lactic fermentations were conducted in tanks. After blending, the wine was barreled down in early 1998 in new American oak barrels. Our 1997 Napa was aged 24 months in barrel, and then cellared another eighteen months in bottle before release on February 2nd, 2002.
Tasting Notes:
The 1997 Napa Valley is a wine of extraordinary intensity and depth. It has a very dark garnet color and a concentrated nose of cassis, roasting coffee, chocolate, violets and sandalwood. It is extremely rich on the palate, with a full body and a long, fruity intense finish. This Cabernet will continue to improve for 15 to 17 years given proper cellaring.
93% Cabernet Sauvignon,
5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
The Growing Region - Napa Valley
It's hard not to think of Napa Valley when thinking of California wines. The region is, after all, the one that brought world recognition to California wine making. The area was settled by a few choice wine families in the 1960's who bet that the wines of the area would grow and flourish. They were right. The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980's, when vineyard lands were scooped up and vines were planted throughout the area. A number of wineries emerged, from large conglomerates to small boutique to cult classics. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux Blends. Whites are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
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Notable Facts:
Within the Napa Valley lie small sub-AVAs that lend even more character specifics to the wines. Furthest south is Carneros, followed by Yountville, then Oakville & Rutherford. Above those two is St.-Helena and finally, while not yet an AVA, Calistoga. These areas are situated on the valley floor and are known for creating rich, smooth Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots and Chardonnays. There are a few mountain regions as well, nestled on the sides of the above valley AVAs. Those include Howell Mountain, Stags Leap and Mount Veeder. Wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, yet also with a pronounced elegance.
About California:
It's not rare to see a wine's country of origin listed as "California." A country into itself in the wine world, California makes enough varieties and styles to match many European wine countries. While it must settle for being only a state, that does not affect the high quality and diversity of its wines.
The most famous of the California wine regions is Napa Valley, and these wines are certainly outstanding – but watch out, because Sonoma County is catching up to its overshadowing neighbor. Down south, the Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley is finding that some Rhne style grapes and even Pinot and Chardonnay are able to do well. The Central Coast, the largest California AVA, has many different microclimates that lead to a wide range of wines with many sub-AVAs.
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