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A rich, structured and elegant wine with power, balance and beauty, HaLo – Trefethen’s flagship – is named for the family’s third generation, Hailey and Loren. This estate Cabernet Sauvignon is produced entirely from the estate’s Hillspring Vineyard, where Cabernet vines grow on gentle slopes, rocky soils and slightly warmer conditions than those at the winery at Oak Knoll. Deep, rich, complex and multi-layered, the wine is known for earthy flavors and aromas that hint at the oak forest surrounding the vineyard. 2017 can be seen as a difficult Napa vintage with its heat spikes and devastating late-October fires. Fortunately, the Trefethen winery, with its location in the cooler Oak Knoll District, avoided these challenges. In late 2021, the Connoisseur’s Guide to California wine awarded the 2017 HaLo 95 points, describing it as “a lavish wine long on deep fruit with a healthy measure of slightly caramelly oak in support. It is a big and potent wine, but it is not overdone, and its very fine tannic structure ensures a good decade of age, yet it is so very rich and outgoing now that is it is bound to test the patience of dedicated Cabernet collectors who are lucky enough to have a few bottles tucked away in their cellars.” The structure and tannins suggest that HaLo is a wine to put down for future celebrations, so be sure to decant when drinking young. Beef and lamb dishes would go well with HaLo, especially when enhanced with thyme and mushrooms.
A family-owned producer of distinguished estate wines for over 50 years, Trefethen Family Vineyards has always been guided by a unique dedication to sustainable farming, thoughtful winemaking and gracious hospitality. The majority of Trefethen’s nearly 600 acres are found on the Main Ranch Vineyard, located in Oak Knoll – about midway between Yountville and Napa – a cooler district in the southern half of the Napa Valley. The other property is the Hillspring Vineyard, on the low foothills of the mountains just to west of Oak Knoll. Trefethen produces mainly Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling. However, it farms a total of nine grape varieties, the others being Malbec, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Pinot Noir. (The other varieties are either used for blending, released in special bottlings or sold to other wineries).
Eugene Trefethen, an engineering company executive, purchased the historic, but run-down property in 1968 as a post-retirement hobby. When his son, John, suggested replanting the vineyards and founding an estate winery, the idea was considered foolhardy at best. Back then, the Napa Valley was an isolated community with more prune and walnut orchards than vineyards, and only 20 wineries were in existence. But the estate happened to feature a standing winery building from an earlier era, which added credence to the idea that wine would be both history and future. As it turned out, John and his wife, Janet, caught the new Napa winemaking wave, and their energy propelled Trefethen Family Vineyards into becoming one of the top new wineries of the 1970s. Indeed, in 1979 the 1976 Trefethen Chardonnay was declared “The Best Chardonnay in the World” at the Gault Millau Wine Olympics held in Paris.
Since the mid-2000s, the third generation of Trefethens, John and Janet’s children, Hailey and Lorenzo, have taken charge. 50 years has given this family an intimate understanding of their vineyards, from the soils and microclimates of the various blocks to the varietals, the clones and the rootstock. With this knowledge, they can continue to create new blends and reserve wines made from superior blocks of the very best vines and build on a legacy of estate grown wines of remarkable quality and integrity.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | Napa Valley |
| Sub-Ava | Oak Knoll District |
| Winery | Trefethen |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Color | Red |
| Varietal(s) | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.5 x 32.5 |
| Case Size | 37.5 x 32.5 x 12.0 |
| Alcohol | 14.8% |
| Product Code | TR17HLO |
| UPC | NONE |
95 points – The Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine, December 2019.
Aromas of dark cherry and boysenberry emerge with floral notes. On the palate, layers of blueberry, blackberry, and red current are supported by fine-grained tannins and notes of cedar and sage in a long finish. Built for the long haul, the wine rewards decanting and a little time to open up.
The wine aged 30 months in 100% new French oak.