BUY MT BRAVE NAPA CAB SAUV 2011 ONLINE | Blanchards - Allston

This rich red wine has great spice and floral notes on the nose, with blue fruits, toast, and dark cherry dancing on the palate. Minerality and weight lead to a wonderful finish. We hand-harvested grapes, at an average Brix of 25°, into lug boxes during cool morning hours as the fog blanketed the valley below. First, the wine was fermented in stainless steel and then underwent native malolactic fermentation in barrels to round acidity and softly integrate the vanillin character of French oak (91% new). After barrel aging for 19 months, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration. High-elevation winegrowing requires a painstaking, labor-intensive approach. Thin, rocky soils, and steep slopes make water retention a challenge and erosion a threat, but the vines benefit from the struggle and produce concentrated flavors. The high altitude keeps midday temperatures cooler than those in the valley below, while the position above the fog line gives grapes longer daily exposure to sunlight. These conditions regularly extend the growing season into November, and the increased hang-time results in peak ripeness and full varietal complexity.