The only thing I enjoy more than a good California Cabernet Sauvignon is a good California Cabernet with a story. Recently I discovered a Cabernet Sauvignon from Perliss Estate Vineyards called the “Ravens”. What I found interesting about the “Ravens” was the amount of information provided about the wine. While I would be the first to admit you probably don’t need this much information to make a wine purchase, I found the information to be part of “the story”.
Vineyard Elevation: Hillside
Soil Type: Rocky, Volcanic, Loamy
Farming Method: Organic, Cane Pruned
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Rootstock: Low Vigor Planted in 2008
Grafted: 2009
Winemaker: Aaron Pott
Vineyard Management: Piña
Vintners: The Perliss Family
Vintage: 2013
Production: 400 Cases
Alcohol Content: 14.7%
Grapes Harvested: September 24
Yeast: Indigenous
Filtration: None
Fining: None
Cooperage: 60% New French Oak, 40% Used French Oak
Barreling: 20 Months
Bottled: June 3, 2015
The Winemaker is Aaron Pott who has quite a bit of experience making wine in the Napa Valley. Pott was an Assistant Winemaker under the infamous John Kongsgaard at Newton Vineyard. He went on to work at Beringer Wine Estates and Quintessa. In addition to his own winery (Pott Wine), Pott has consulted for Blackbird Vineyards, Seven Stones Winery, Bello Family Vineyards, Fisher Vineyards, Quixote and St. Helena Winery. In 2012 Pott was named Winemaker of the Year by Food and Wine Magazine. Suffice to say Pott has an impressive resume.
The “Ravens” Vineyard is only 13 acres which is very small by Napa Valley vineyard standards. It is located in Calistoga which is in the northern portion of the Napa Valley. The wine has both mountain and valley fruit characteristics which isn’t surprising considering the soil mix.
The 2013 “Ravens” is not filtered which reminds me of Newton “Unfiltered” Chardonnay where Pott previously worked. Unfiltered wine has a very unique quality. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon vintage continues to receive extremely high marks from just about every wine critic.
While the 2013 “Ravens” vintage has been aged in new and used French Oak barrels, the 2014 “Ravens” is even more unique. The 2014 “Ravens” Cabernet Sauvignon is being aged in a combination of French Oak barrels and handmade terra cotta vessels from Tuscany. The terra cotta vessels are more porous than oak and add a mineral element to the wine.
The 2013 production of 400 cases is small but the 2014 production of 270 cases is even smaller. Hopefully you have a chance to try the 2013 and/or 2014 vintage of the “Ravens” Cabernet Sauvignon!
