Sire Estate, Houyi Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
“Sire” is an archaic English word for father or king, and was a respectful form of address for reigning monarchs or someone of high social status during the Middle Ages. The King, or father, was the carrier of the family bloodline, from generation to generation. Wealth, land, and nobility would fall or rise at the succession of the Sire.

The term is still used today by top animal breeders for show dogs and race horses, describing the father and lineage of a prized thoroughbred or fine stallion. In the quest for the finest race horse, breeders seek out perfection among the bloodlines of past winners, purebreds, and top pedigrees. 

So it is with fine wine, the best only come from top pedigree grapes (clones) with proper lineage, the heartiest rootstock, and the richest terroir in Napa Valley. The object of Sire, is to source only the finest pedigree vineyards for winemaking; Cabernet vineyards specifically. We patiently wait for just the right thoroughbred vineyard sites to work with; to produce that best-of-show wine. Each vintage of Sire is a purebred… an uninhibited expression of the vineyard site’s terroir.

Like all things royal, Sire is both refined yet decadent. Well structured and balanced, with just a touch of hedonism.

Grape / Blend
100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker Tasting Notes
This hillside vineyard has the tendency to consistently deliver magnificent texture and structure. Typical of those red volcanic soils, rich in clay and iron, you will feel the texture and the weight of those rocks through the black aromatics: compote blackberry, cherry and sweet garrigue spices. The core is surrounded by earthy notes and deep unfolding layers. Another classic vintage to lay for a bit, or don’t hesitate to decant for the first decade.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard is another sensational wine from this label. Ripe black and blue fruits, liquid violets, spice oak, graphite, and a beautiful sense of minerality all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with a layered, full-bodied style carrying plenty of tannins. It's a riper, bigger wine compared to the Sleeping Lady Vineyard, but both wines are sensational.

96 Points - Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard is fabulous. Dark, vibrant and explosive, the 2021 shows all the pedigree of this Pritchard Hill site. There's a marriage of power and finesse here that is simply captivating. Blackberry, chocolate, spice, leather and gravel build as this voluptuous, dense Cabernet Sauvignon starts to open in the glass. This is a superb showing. All this needs is time to soften. 

Product size: 750ml