The Mascot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2017

Overview of the Wine
Although I grew up running around the winery, hand-turning de-stemmers, and eating grapes off the vines in our backyard, I never thought I’d discover my own passion in making wine. My family has been in the business longer than I’ve been around, but it was only a handful of years ago that curiosity led me beyond the event horizon of this world. It began with the experience of learning the complexities of blending wine in 2008, and progressed steadily until I found myself working in the cellar, handling barrel fermentation throughout the harvest of 2012. 

The Mascot began early on as an experiment, after talking the family and winemaking team into sparing a few barrels of wine—produced from our younger vines—to explore a blend of my own. In the first few years, before it had a label or a name, it was just a wine shared with friends and family. It wasn’t until the 2008 vintage, our first official release, that we had enough to share with new friends.

Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes 
Made from the younger vines of Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory, The Mascot shares a unique glimpse into the evolution of our winegrowing estates. The Mascot began early on as an experiment, after talking the family and winemaking team into sparing a few barrels of wine - produced from our younger vines - to explore a blend of my own. In the first few years, before it had a label or a name, it was just a wine shared with friends and family. This cabernet is a hedonistic blend of power and balance; expressive and approachable early in its life, with potential to evolve well into the future. Ready to drink upon release, it will age for decades given the opportunity.

Vintage 2017 proved to be one of those seasons that tests the mettle of both the winegrowing team and the vines. The exuberance of early spring was briefly disrupted by hailstorms, followed by heat waves that bracketed the summer months, elevating ripeness in the fruit. Despite these events, we took a calculated risk by waiting. Decades spent working these lands had encouraged us to exercise restraint, allowing the vines—even the young ones—to rely, wherever possible, on their own accumulated wisdom. Discipline rewarded us: as temperatures normalized, sugars rebalanced, acidity held, and harvest began not long thereafter. We are particularly fortunate to have produced The Mascot from fruit brought in before wildfires began in autumn. These adversities seem to have heightened the character of the wine, which emerged from the challenges with purity and poise—a testament to the pedigree of the sites themselves. The growing season’s relative warmth is absent in the glass, replaced by freshness and a piquant tension. The nose draws forward notes of red fruit and elements—earth, warm spice, leather—often deferred to the finish. Lithesome tannins and vibrant acidity attend a crystalline structure that is finely wrought and radiantly transparent.

Product size: 750ml