Warm Fall Greetings from PlumpJack Winery!
Harvest 2006 ended nearly one week ago on a very high note. The vintage has been a rollercoaster ride beginning with a nearly perfect bud break last spring, a summer of record temperatures, a mild September, followed by our traditional long Indian summer days of October. Hang time, the number of days from fruit set to harvest, was extremely long this year, resulting in wines that are rich and complex in flavor and very dark, almost opaque, in color. Most of the lots have finished their primary alcoholic fermentation, have been pressed and are now being barreled down for the malolactic (or second) fermentation over the winter.
I have two exciting announcements: The groundbreaking on our new winery and the release of our 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
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CADE Winery
In early 2004, I became aware of a beautiful property in the Howell Mountain Appellation. After a short drive up the hill from Oakville with winemaker Anthony Biagi, we discovered a truly world class vineyard on a rocky, well-drained hillside facing southwest at nearly 1800 feet in elevation. Comprised of 60 acres, 20 acres of which were planted, the vineyard was young, only its first leaf, but the potential was immediately evident.
We purchased the property to build a second winery which would showcase the wines from this estate property as well as the Howell Mountain Appellation.
This May, the County of Napa granted us a use permit for our new winery on the Howell Mountain site. Construction on CADE Winery began shortly thereafter with a completion date forecasted for spring 2008.
Three wines will be produced from CADE Winery: CADE Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (made from the 20 acre vineyard at the winery), CADE Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (grapes purchased from small artisan growers in the Howell Mountain Appellation) and a small production of CADE Sauvignon Blanc.
CADE's first release will be next spring, the 2006 CADE Sauvignon Blanc, however production will be limited.
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The 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Our single PlumpJack offering this fall is the 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, our 10th bottling of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This is our smallest production in five years due to a very small crop size in conjunction with the replanting of 18 acres of our 50 acre Estate Vineyard. We had a smaller harvest from fewer planted acres.
Harvest began September 9, 2004 and concluded October 7, 2004. We made 14 separate passes through the vineyard during this time to ensure uniform ripeness and quality.
All of us at PlumpJack are in agreement that the 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest we have ever produced. Heady words, but if you enjoy rich, mouth-coating Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, make sure you stock up! Aromas of Bing cherry, blackberry puree, vanilla beans and menthol are followed on the palate with flavors of chocolate, soy, raspberries and sage. The finish is long with lush, mouth-coating tannins. Drinkable now, the 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon will age gracefully for at least a decade. Robert M. Parker gave this wine a score of 93-95 points and wrote, "The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is one of the stronger Cabernets I tasted from this irregular, but promising vintage. A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 70% new French oak, it exhibits a deep purple hue along with a big sweet nose of spice box, black currant liqueur, espresso and subtle smoky new oak. It's broad and savory with terrific purity, a wonderful texture, and a long, concentrated finish with sweet tannin as well as low acidity. Consume it over the next 10-15 years."
As with past vintages, our wines are extremely limited in quantity. We have a one case per household limit on the 2004 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon so I encourage you to return the enclosed order form as soon as possible. All orders will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
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On behalf of the entire PlumpJack Winery team, I thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement and wish you many years of enjoyment from this wonderful new release!
Happy Holidays and Warm Regards,
John Conover
General Manager, PlumpJack Winery
Partner, CADE
P.S. Should your travels bring you to Napa Valley, please stop by the winery for a visit. We're open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily.
If you're coming from some distance, you may want to consider staying at our resort in Napa, The Carneros Inn. Please find enclosed a special offer for our newsletter recipients, or visit their website at www.TheCarnerosInn.com to see other available packages.
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Balboa Cafe
