Meyer Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon; Spitfire Oakvill; 2019 

 April 4, 2022

By  rackhouse

The winery has almost twenty acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in Oakville, a region with well-drained, sandy, gravelly soils and cooling effects in the form of fog and breezes that reach Napa Valley from the San Pablo Bay. The Meyer Family has farmed and produced Cabernet Sauvignon in the heart of Oakville since the early 1970s, and during that time they have contributed significantly to both the reputation of Oakville and the definition of its red wines, creating world-famous Cabernets.

The 2019 harvest was slightly later than anticipated. There was late rain in the Spring which saturated the soils and slowed bud-break. Vigorous shoot growth early in the Summer initially suggested things would get back on track, but a long cool summer settled in. The Fall stayed remarkably dry, however, and all the grapes were picked and even fermented before the first storms. 2019 saw some of the longest hang-times from this vineyard. That extra time on the vine helped develop grapes bursting with flavor and translated to juicy, fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Cabernet fruit was hand-picked into macro bins, then sorted and de-stemmed, and crushed into stainless steel tanks. Cold soaking was carried out over 24 hours, and they must be inoculated and pumped over one to three times per day, then pressed before finishing primary fermentation. Once dry, the wine was racked into a barrel and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. It was racked again at the conclusion of secondary fermentation and twice more before bottling. Though it was filtered, owing to its time in barrel, fining was not necessary.

Hints of blackberry, cassis, and sandalwood quickly give way to the strong aroma of a freshly baked plum. Two years in American oak have added a complex spice box of flavors, showing cardamom and cinnamon layered with integrated oak tannins.

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