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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Cariad, the Welsh word for “love”, is a Bordeaux-style red wine blended from three outstanding vineyards owned and managed by David Abreu. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from Madrona Ranch are blended with small amounts of fruit from Thorevilos and Howell Mountain, producing a wine of enormous proportions with a classic structure that is the Colgin hallmark: a plethora of vibrant aromas, voluptuous at mid-palate, with impeccable balance and an exceptionally long finish. A wine as seductive as its name.
Wine Information
The 2007 vintage was defined by an exceptionally good growing season from beginning to end. The Napa Valley received just 60% of normal rainfall, encouraging our vines to begin bud break a week ahead of schedule. A mild spring followed, with several light rains that helped the vines to cope with the mild drought. Sunny, beautiful weather during bloom resulted in fruitful clusters that were uniform in size and maturity. A wonderfully moderate summer followed, with cooler than average temperatures, allowing for slow, even development of the berries. By late August, the berries were intensely pigmented and showing signs of outstanding quality. A short heat wave around Labor Day resulted in our earliest picking of Merlot ever at Colgin. But cool weather soon followed, allowing the Cabernet to hang longer, and to develop ripe tannins, with great natural acidity. Overall, the 2007 vintage was truly a winemaker's dream. The wines are defined by their intense color, their deep aromatics, and their coating and supple tannins.
Winemaker notes from Allison Tauziet:
"The 2007 Cariad blend is composed of 52% Cabernet, 28% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc all from Madrona Ranch and 8% Petit Verdot from Thorevilos vineyard. In order to make the best blend year after year, we rely on our French consultant, Alain Raynaud, to give us his thoughtful insight. Slowly and meticulously we construct the blend together.
The 2007 vintage of our Cariad blend is one of my favorites ever since the picking of the fruit. This blend reminds me of a Graves wine when I close my eyes. The gravelly notes jump out of the glass. Beneath the essences of the terroir, are juicy, savory aromas of grilled duck and grilled steak. Exotic spices of cardamom and coriander seed fragrance the nose. The tannin coats the palate with unctuous layers that are both broad and rich. This seductive wine possesses a huge amount of minerality, more than ever before. The lusciousness of the tannin makes it appealing upon release, but as always with this bold and intensely structured wine, we recommend a minimum of 5 years of aging."
We released 550 cases of the "Cariad" Napa Valley Red Wine in March 2011. Release price $290.