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Be bold. Take risks. Always stay connected.
Tether is another project by Mario and Anna Monticelli, the hard-working, wine-loving couple who also produce Stackhouse Cabernet. Anna and Mario both have viticulture and enology degrees from UC Davis and years of experience in the Napa Valley and Europe. Anna was assistant winemaker at Seavey Vineyard for two years and then Bryant Family Vineyard for five. She has been the winemaker at Piña Napa Valley since 2007. Mario’s father was born in Italy but emigrated to California, where he made wine at Gallo for 50 years. Mario worked a harvest in Tuscany at Villa Antinori, and then spent four years as the assistant winemaker for Philippe Melka, a consultant for many Napa Valley wineries. He became winemaker at Trinchero Napa Valley in 2007. Mario and Anna have full-time “day jobs” as winemakers or winemaking consultants; produce their own labels not only in the Napa Valley, but in Piemonte, Toscana, Abruzzo, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy. Oh! They are also raising three children.
The label depicting an astronaut “tethered,” presumably to a spaceship, appears whimsical but also conveys a deeper message about life, humanity, and community. As we each step out and make our lives, we best stay tethered to our families, our friends, our communities, and the Earth… And what better cord exists to bind us together in a good life than good wine and food!
CountryUSA
RegionCalifornia
Tether Chardonnay is 100% Napa Valley, with half of the fruit sourced from vineyards in Carneros and half from the Oak Knoll AVA. It is fermented and aged in French Oak (50% new) and undergoes complete malolactic fermentation. As a result, perhaps, the wine balances rich tropical aromas and flavors of ripe pineapple, papaya, lemongrass, and coconut with leaner-edged fresh pear and yellow apple. The palate is mouth-filling yet well-defined, clean, and precise. If you have been won over by Rombauer Chardonnay, Tether will surely seduce you with its myriad charms, a dazzling palette of fresh flavors but with little noticeable oak or butter.
This dark, purple gem of a classic Bordeaux blend consists of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec. The fruit was sourced mainly from Napa County from both mountain (Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Mt. Veeder) and valley floor vineyards (Yountville, Oak Knoll, St. Helena), with an additional component from Rock Pile and Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. According to the winemakers, the wine “leaps from the glass with intense aromas of black currant, blackberry and ripe black cherry. Complex layers of the wine’s bouquet continue to evolve in the glass, showcasing hints of crushed volcanic rock, mocha, subtle spice, and slow-toasted French oak. This compelling wine possesses a gorgeous mid-palate, fantastic structure, elegant refined tannins, and an engaging finish.”