The 2007 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon is two thirds Oakville and one third Howell Mountain . The Oakville piece is something we considered bottling separate this year for our first ever vineyard designate Cabernet. As time wore on we realized the quality was there but the timing was not. We’ll look to single it out in 2008 but if the state of the economy doesn’t improve, we will continue to bottle one Cabernet. The main concern for us is that the wine always over deliver for the price. Here’s a quick tasting note on the wine:

2007 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley —400 cases produced, 14.3% alcohol, 75% new French oak
This wine has always been highly aromatic. Starting out with a nose of violets, wet rock and cassis, the entry takes on a richness that betrays its two hillside sources. There’s brightness to the black fruited quality that pushes the perception of the fruit to the red/blue end of the spectrum until the tannin hits. As with all hillside sites, the tannin is there it’s just a matter of managing the quality of it that sets the wine apart. The structure here takes on a fine-grained sweetness and if it deviates from a fruit focus it moves more toward the varietally correct notes of creosote, charcoal and graphite with loamy, minerally tones creeping in. Time in the decanter definitely helps to prolong the finish and mellow out some of the mountain tannin.

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