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Dear Friends,

I was a huge fan of this wine when we first grabbed it off the market, but I have to say it has tested my patience. I’ll admit to releasing wines early when I know they're going to come around in 30-45 days (like Lot 400, which is killer right now), but this took a good 10 months to even begin to come around in the bottle. I am finding that to be the case with many of the 2010 Napa Cabernets we bottled last Spring, particularly if they saw a good percentage of new oak (I have another Cab bottled last summer with 80% new French oak that I fear won’t be ready to release until later this summer). Anyhow, I’m glad we waited for Lot 332 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet because, as I told my wife last night after we polished off a bottle - this is some of Sam and Mike’s best blending work ever.
 
First off, Lot 332 is primarily an amalgam of mountain fruit from three different sources: two high-end wineries, and some of the Cabernet we make from Stagecoach Vineyard. It’s an incredibly harmonious blend and I highly recommend decanting for a good hour or two (or my favorite, the 24 hour decant - pour the wine out into a container, funnel it back into the bottle, re-cork and let sit overnight). The wine, 80% of which is sourced from a $75/bottle producer with Highway 29 frontage, is primarily upper-elevation Calistoga fruit grown about 750 feet off the valley floor with a bit of Carneros Cabernet added for color and structure (not that it needed it). The other 20% of the overall blend is about half Howell Mountain Cabernet we bought from a grower producer and half Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet we make off of Atlas Peak. While we don’t know the exact oak regimen, we estimate about 35-40% new French oak on the wine. Given the pitch-perfect oak integration, obviously very high quality barrels were used, which you would expect from these producers. Please note that my tasting video and the following notes are not perfectly aligned - the wine has opened up considerably since we shot the video two months ago.

Gorgeous, lovely, and pure describe my overall impression of the wine (not to mention the word “soul”, which I wrote in my tasting notes). The aromatics take a few minutes to unwind, and reveal pretty red fruits like currant and ripe plum backed with a rocky minerality and dark chocolate notes. The aromatics continue to grow in the glass and will in the bottle as well. However, it’s the palate that truly reveals what this wine is all about - beautifully textured and succulent, with lithe tannins and superbly integrated red and black fruits. While the wine achieves a rare sense of balance and harmony, there is solid fruit impact as well. This wine is a real symphony - an unfinished symphony, really, because as good as the wine is now, there is lots more complexity to enjoy in the years to come.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email us or call our customer service line at 800-805-1971.

Cheers!


Cameron Hughes

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 phone 800 805 1971 | email info@chwine.com 251 Rhode Island St. San Francisco, CA 94103 

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