2017 RAMEY Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

RAMEY Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

¥14,300 (incl. tax)

By sourcing fruit from both hillside and valley floor vineyards, David Ramey produces a layered and complex expression of Napa Valley Cabernet. Modeled on the Grand Crus of Bordeaux, the wine combines Cabernet (80%), Merlot (10%), Petit Verdot (7%) and Cabernet Franc (3%) into a complex and savory blend. The 2017 spent a lengthy 30 months in barrel; however, sur lie aging and battonage (lees stirring) allowed the oak to give the wine structure without imparting additional flavor. While the fruit is naturally flavorful and voluptuous, as the wine opens up, it reveals layers of dark fruit, spice and earthy notes. This wine can be enjoyed now or savored over the next ten years. Suggested pairings might include steak au poivre, lamb ragout with roasted peppers, or, for vegetarians, baked eggplant with mushrooms and tomato sauce.

Winery


Winery Description

If there has been a movement in California away from buttery, tropical-sweet Chardonnay and over-ripe, high-octane  Cabernet, surely one of the leaders is David Ramey. Located in picturesque Healdsburg, Ramey Cellars is a craft-winery that produces startlingly fresh and balanced Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Sonoma County and Napa Valley. Many of Ramey’s wines express the terroir of single vineyards while others are specific to such appellations as the Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley. With his master’s degree in enology from UC Davis, one might have expected Ramey’s wines to be faultless and squeeky-clean; however, an early internship at Chateau Petrus imbued him with the belief that wines should be restrained, balanced and crafted to accompany food. This combination of the empirical and the romantic (along with almost 20 years of experience at such wineries as Simi, Matanzas Creek and Dominus) has led him to experiment with indigenous yeasts and malolactic and barrel fermentation in search of a new California style. This style seeks to tame the naturally luscious and vivacious fruit of California with the traditional techniques of the Old World. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, novelist (and wine geek) Jay McInerny has described “his Chardonnays just a little more voluptuous than the average Puligny-Montrachet, his cabs less tannic than the typical Médoc.”

About this Wine


Country USA
Region California
Appellation(s) Napa Valley
Winery Ramey
Vintage 2017
Color Red
Varietal(s) 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cab Franc
Closure Cork
Volume 750ml
Bottle Size 7.5 x 30.0
Case Size 49.0 x 32.0 x 18.0
Alcohol 14.5%
Product Code RM17NCB
UPC 185983000107

Owning & Enjoying


Tasting notes

95 points — Wine Enthusiast (Cellar Selection).

Voluptuous, appealing and expressive, this Cab opens with aromas of cassis and plum and notes of cedar and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with black currants, crushed rock, and a hint of toasted oak. Acidity and polished tannins give structure through the finish. Enjoy now or cellar for a decade or two. 

Production


Vinification

After fermentation on wild yeasts, the wine aged on the fine lees in order to better incorporate the influence of oak across 30 months of aging in French oak barrels (60% new). The wine was bottled without filtration.

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