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  • A bottle of Etude Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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2019 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Oakville750ml

The Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon was the third appellation wine to be introduced in our Cabernet series of very small bottlings dedicated to the benchland sub-appellations of Napa Valley. This bo...

The Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon was the third appellation wine to be introduced in our Cabernet series of very small bottlings dedicated to the benchland sub-appellations of Napa Valley. This bottling marks the eighth vintage of the Oakville Cabernet and celebrates Etude’s long-term relationship with one of the most highly regarded winegrowers in Napa Valley.

$155.00
$155.00

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Specifications

  • Vintage: 2019
  • Region: Napa Valley
  • Appelation: Oakville
  • Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Notes

This Cabernet is a classic representation of Oakville, with a bold, vibrant character, and remarkable depth and complexity, tributes of the cooler western bench location in the valley. There is a fresh, purity of dark berry fruit present, with layers of dark black cherry, blackberry cobbler and acai berry fruit, supported by savory notes of wild violet, crushed granite minerality, and forest floor. Tremendously concentrated with a generous balance and mouth-coating, glycerin-like tannin quality that provides a silky and supple texture. The well-integrated oak spice is delicate and nuanced, leading to a long mouth-watering finish with incredible intensity and savory-ness. Full-bodied with tremendous structure that will continue to open and evolve as it ages, over many years to come.

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Expert reviews

95 POINTS

“Vivid and polished, with a beautiful beam of plum, açaí berry and blackberry puree flavors that glisten as they cruise through, picking up light violet, apple wood and warm earth accents along the way. A lovely tang of iron resonates through the finish. A wine of poise. Drink now through 2040.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The Vineyard

Vine Hill Ranch

Grapes were sourced exclusively from Block Three of the Vine Hill Ranch, planted to Clone 337, nestled along the hills of the Mayacamas Mountain Range at the south end of the Oakville AVA. The Phillips family has carefully managed this alluvial benchland vineyard with cobbly soils for three generations, home to some of the most expressive and concentrated Cabernet grapes in the Napa Valley. Michael Wolf, who has watched over Vine Hill for nearly two decades, makes certain the vineyard is healthy and offering its ultimate expression for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Process

The 2019 vintage

  • Winter

    The 2019 harvest started one to two weeks later than previous years, mostly due to February rains, but because the vines were in their winter dormancy, it did not affect the 2019 crop.

  • Spring

    Spring continued to be wet with some rain during flowering, followed by cool temperatures that allowed the grapes to mature gradually.

  • Summer

    Most grapes ripened at lower sugars, thanks to the extended, cool growing season, and winemakers were pleased with the full flavors, fresh acidity and superb balance of the 2019 fruit.

  • Harvest

    Wildfires in October did not impact this year’s harvest as the vast majority of the grapes were already brought in, resulting in a crop size pretty much on par with previous years.

Crafted Excellence

Winemaking

The grapes were cold soaked for 3-5 days and fermented on their skins in open top fermenters. An extended maceration period followed fermentation, to help modify the depth and mouthfeel of the wine, and to fully extract color, flavor, and aromatics. The young wine was then racked into small French oak barrels – using a selection of coopers and forests to accentuate the vineyard distinctions – where it aged for 20 months in 100% French Oak (75% new). Each lot was kept separate until final blending. The resulting wine was returned to barrel for an additional nine months of aging.