PO Box 2486
Napa, CA 94558
(800)810-WINE
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2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Vineyard In many of the sites where we love to work with, the location defines the wine. In this case it is purely mountain top. This vineyard is located directly east of Oakville on the next mountain east of the Vaca Mountain Range, which frames the eastern side of Napa Valley. At 1500 to 1700 feet, the vineyard is known for huge boulders, red volcanic soil and very harsh growing conditions. The berries that survive are small, thick skinned, dark, intense and tannic.
Winemaking The fruit was hand sorted, destemmed and crushed with high whole berry content. After cold soaking for 6 days, it was fermented for 11 days with the maximum temperature of 86 degrees, followed by 25 days of extended maceration in a variable capacity tank. The malolactic fermentation took place in the barrel. The wine was racked 5 times, blended with a touch of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and bottled in August of 2005, unfined and unfiltered. Tasting Notes Sweet oak and vanilla aromas jump out of the bottle upon opening, though the fruit characteristics are slow to emerge without ample aeration. Cedar dominates the nose, followed by hints of earth, smoked meat, sage, spice, and mineral. These carry through on the palate, with red cherry, blackberry, currant, and cherry liqueur showing up at the core of this amazingly complex cabernet. The enveloping tannins yield somewhat once the wine has been open for two to three hours. The ’04 Stagecoach is a classic example of a Surh Luchtel wine meant for long term aging. 300 cases produced with a small number of 3 liters.
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