VARIETY:

100% Cabernet Franc

THE VINEYARD:

To stand atop the mountain at Oakville Ranch is to breathe in the angel’s share of the valley’s wine production. A magnificent, picturesque point of view where the finest fruit from the Oakville AVA, and perhaps Napa Valley, is grown.

The rugged, 370-acre, certified organic estate is located in the eastern hills of Oakville and ranges from an elevation of 600 to 1,000 feet. Views from here span the entire Napa Valley and south to San Francisco. Just below the Pritchard Hill AVA and just above Dalla Valle, Peter Michael’s Au Pardis vineyard and Turnbull’s Fortuna – this is a sweet-spot in the valley for some of Napa’s most heralded wines.

Vineyard manager Phil Coturri is a master grower of the vines in these rocky, red volcanic clay loam soils – driving the development of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with incredible power and richness as well as distinctive energy and brightness.

What we designate as the “Saunders Block” was originally the 41-acre Saunders Vineyard, owned by Charlie Saunders, before being purchased by Russel Bevan, who later sold the vineyard to Mary Minor which incorporated the vineyard block into the broader, adjacent Oakville Ranch Vineyard designation. The 370-acre ranchwas purchased by Bob & Mary Miner in 1989 and was the same year the Miner’s harvested and produced their first wine from the property. In 2020 Oakville Ranch purchased the neighboring Saunder’s Vineyard and its approximately 10 acres of vines.

The name Oakville Ranch predates the Miner family ownership, with the earliest reference to the name Oakville Ranch in the early 1980’s. The ranch was purchased in 1980 by five different ownership parties including John Scully and Don Kelleher (the owner of Kelleher Family Vineyard and whose family owns Brix Restaurant just north of Yountville).

WINEMAKER’S RECORD:

What a gorgeous, exceptional wine. Lush, textured and layered with inviting complexity. Ripe and delicious black plum, menthol, mineral, black berry, wild nettle, and black currant. The palate continues to inspire with a beautiful red fruit and floral lifting to the brooding undercarriage, with the back-palate showcasing complex and enticing herb and floral notes. Opulent with energized balance. Full tannin presence that will relax with bottle age. Broad and powerful, this is another stunning effort from the ranch that punches well above its weight!

PRODUCTION Essentials

Method | 4-Stage Pellenc Destemmed, 100% Gravity Flow To Open Top and Stainless Fermenters, Slow Cellar Temp Fermentations On Skins, 100% Native Primary and Secondary Fermentation, 100% Free Run Juice, Gentle Barrel To Tank Racking.

Aging Regimen | 19 Months, 75% New 3-Year Air-Dried French Oak, Bottled Unfiltered

Production | 175 Cases 1968