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Wine Description
The Story
From an exceptional site that imparts earthy, ethereal notes of power and elegance, this signature cabernet reveals intense, deep layers of crème de cassis, barbecue smoke, graphite, blackberry and freshly cut flowers that excite the palate. Incredibly long and round, it is our rarest wine, the 2002 vintage achieving our first perfect score as “a wine of enormous concentration, multiple dimensions, layers of flavor, and a sensational one minute plus finish. Its purity, harmony and symmetry are prodigious.”
Wine Information
2009 Tychson Hill Vineyard, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2009 vintage was one that was characterized by balance. Budbreak started right on schedule in mid March. Though we had only received about two thirds of our normal rainfall over the winter, we were fortunate to have a few small rain events in April and May which would tide the vines over through the beginning of summer. A fairly classic weather pattern set in over the summer time. We experienced only a few days of heat over 100 degrees, which was followed by our traditional fog pattern coming in from the bay.
The fog continued through much of August which lengthened the early maturation stage of the fruit, giving ample time for the vines to create fruit deep in pigment, and complex in flavor. Several small heat events in September rounded out the flavor and tannin development, allowing us to begin picking the Merlot and Syrah. Gorgeous mild weather the first week of October provided perfect conditions for ripening the Cabernet, which we picked steadily through the middle of the month. We finished harvest just before the cold and wet weather hit on October 13.
The wines of this vintage are inky in color, fresh in flavor, and have incredibly silky and approachable tannins. The quality of the fruit in 2009 was uncompromised, and the wines reflect that purity of fruit and elegance of tannin.
Winemaker notes from Allison Tauziet:
"The 2009 vintage of our Tychson Hill wine opens with a beautiful perfume from the glass. This is perhaps the most concentrated and pure wine from Tychson Hill in recent vintages, thanks in part to a very small newly planted portion of the vineyard. A tiny amount (less than 5%) of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot bring verve to the wine with aromas like dark licorice, boysenberry and honeysuckle.
The uniqueness of the site continues to dictate the true essence of the wine, with complex aromas of rocks and loam, and a lingering barbecue smoke. On the palate the texture is delectably silky and velvety. With an elegance and richness already present in its youth, the wine is delicious on release, but I'd recommend that the best is certainly left to come, perhaps within 3 to 5 years, yet lasting for 20 or more."
We released 250 cases of the 2009 "Tychson Hill Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon in March 2013.