2019 ARMILLARY Cabernet Sauvignon

ABOUT ARMILLARY

This ARMILLARY Red Blend was originally crafted for our wine club members. An armillary is a metal cage around a globe consisting of a spherical framework of rings representing lines of celestial longitude and latitude, as well as other astronomically important features. As the FAY and S.L.V. Estate Vineyards are the center of our world at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, a concentrated blend of the two could be considered our armillary, guiding and influencing everything we do.

VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING

ARMILLARY is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc from FAY and S.L.V. made in a bold style with notes of chocolate and sweet berries that will age well over time. Individual lots are blended early in the fermentation process to enable the flavors to marry together during the aging process. The wine is 78% FAY and 22% S.L.V. and was aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Bottled without filtration.

VINTAGE

Spring in Napa Valley was wet with significant rain that increased canopy growth and caused some shatter during bloom in the vineyards. Our vineyard team worked diligently to balance canopies and fruit load, and to expose the fruit to the sun at the right time. Following this wet and cool start to the year that resulted in a lot of vigor, the summer gave way to near ideal growing conditions. Like 2018, a long growing season allowed for grapes to reach optimal ripeness. Yields were less than 2018 and harvest was later than usual.  The main challenge this harvest was powering wineries with generators, as the power company shut off electricity to mitigate any potential fires due to high winds. Fires in upper Sonoma did not affect northern Napa Valley vineyards, and winds kept smoke out of the valley. Overall quality is quite high, and Cabernet has beautiful dark fruit aromas, nice complexity, and more richness than 2018.

TASTING NOTES

This wine opens with dark fruit aromas with hints of licorice, baking spice, chocolate and sweet tobacco. Rich and structured on the palate, the wine has a lasting full-bodied finish with persistent flavors of dark fruit.

FOOD PAIRINGS

Try pairing this Cabernet with rack of lamb, coffee-crusted beef tenderloin or herb-crusted pork roast.