stag's leap wine cellars 'artemis' napa valley cabernet sauvignon 2019

Winery NotesTasting NotesThe 2019 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon delivers expressive aromas of mocha, chocolate covered cherry, crushed raspberry, olive and thyme. Rich and flavorful, the wine is well-structured with fine grained tannins. The palate has a pleasing brambleberry note that leads to a long finish with a hint of oak spice.Vintage NotesSpring in Napa Valley was wet with significant rain that increased canopy growth and caused some shatter during bloom in the vineyards. Our vineyard team worked diligently to balance canopies and fruit load, and to expose the fruit to the sun at the right time. Following this wet and cool start to the year that resulted in a lot of vigor, the summer gave way to near ideal growing conditions. Like 2018, a long growing season allowed for grapes to reach optimal ripeness. Yields were less than 2018 and harvest was later than usual. The main challenge this harvest was powering wineries with generators, as the power company shut off electricity to mitigate any potential fires due to high winds. Fires in upper Sonoma did not affect northern Napa Valley vineyards, and winds kept smoke out of the valley. Overall quality is quite high. Whites are aromatic and crisp, and Cabernet has beautiful dark fruit aromas, nice complexity, and more richness than 2018.Vineyard NotesImagine taking an aerial tour of Napa Valley, flying over the patchwork of vineyards that have made the valley and its wines famous. The grapes for ARTEMIS are sourced from a unique collection of these sites. The 2019 blend is derived from a spectrum of fruit grown for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars by independent growers from across the Napa Valley including: 39% Atlas Peak District; 11% Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville, 7% Battuello Vineyard in St. Helena, 5% Twin Creeks Vineyard in Wooden Valley, and a small amount from S.L.V. and FAYWinemaking NotesThis wine is 99.5% Cabernet Sauvignon with .5% Cabernet Franc for another layer of complexity. The wine was aged for 15 months in 42% new French Oak and 6% new American Oak, with the balance in older French oak barrels.