2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Collinetta Vineyard
Wine Specs
Vintage
2008
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Coombsville
Vineyard Designation
Collinetta Vineyard
Aging
20 months in small French oak barrels, 85% new
Bottling Date
July 2010
Alcohol %
14.5
Wine Spectator
93
2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Collinetta Vineyard
In Stock
On the nose, it is immediately obvious that this is classically deep, ripe Napa Valley Cabernet. Flamboyant aromas of dark raspberries, boysenberries, and blackberry jam quickly open up to reveal underlying hints of licorice, creamy vanilla, and rock dust. The wine’s initial approach is full and rich and soft, with great depth of sweet, ripe fruit. The exceptionally polished, velvety tannins that are Rocca’s calling card are wrapped in delicious dark fruit, lending the wine an elegant sophistication.
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
From start to finish, our 2008 Collinetta Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is all about subtle
beauty and seamless elegance. While it unmistakably shows the rich fruit and early charm
of the 2008 vintage, it does so with exquisite finesse and precision. On the nose, gorgeous
dark fruit aromas of black cherry and blackberry form an intriguing mix with delicate notes
of lavender and violets, dark chocolate, graphite, and a notion of warm vanilla beans. Th e
initial approach is round and soft, pure and focused, and ushers in a rich core of ripe, dark
fruit. Th e wine offers substantial heft on the palate, but the overall impression is one of
exceptional balance and refinement. Th e tannins here are wonderfully soft and caressing,
even by the standards of Rocca’s past vintages, and are coated with delicious lingering
flavors of black cherry and spicy vanilla.
Vineyard Notes
Th is twelve-acre estate vineyard is named Collinetta (Italian for "little hill") to reflect the
unique topography of the site, which gives our vines a 360-degree orientation to the sun.
Located in the Coombsville area east of the town of Napa, the gentle slopes of the
Collinetta Vineyard are covered with well-drained, rocky soils. is area of Napa Valley is
much cooler than our Grigsby Vineyard in Yountville, allowing for a significantly longer
growing season. ese grapes typically ripen weeks later than their counterparts ten miles
to the north, with increased color and structure.
Production Notes
At Rocca Family Vineyards, we believe deeply that all great wines are made in the
vineyard. Our winemaker, Paul Colantuoni, and vineyard manager Sergio Melgoza work
very closely together, taking tremendous care to ensure that our estate vineyards produce
grapes of the highest possible quality. In 2008, their dedicated efforts met with growing
conditions that decidedly promoted quality over quantity. In the early spring, Napa Valley
experienced its coldest and longest frost events in decades, which significantly reduced
vineyard yields. Furthermore, for the second year in a row, rainfall was little more than
60% of average. As a result, grape clusters were far fewer and smaller than normal, with
unusually tiny berries. When the rest of the growing season brought essentially pictureperfect
ripening conditions, these naturally concentrated grapes matured slowly and fully,
developing remarkably profound flavors and lush tannins. e resulting wines from the
2008 vintage are exceptionally dense, richly fruit-forward and extroverted, with great
charm and elegance.
Winemaker Notes
Our goal at Rocca is to make wines that reflect, as fully and faithfully as possible, the
unique characteristics of the vineyards from which they come. To this end, all of our wines
are made exclusively from our own organically-farmed, estate-grown grapes, which we
selectively hand harvest in the cool hours of the night. Once the fruit has been picked, we
take an emphatically hands-off, non-interventionist approach to winemaking. is wine
was created entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon, which was de-stemmed as gently as
possible, and allowed to ferment with the vineyard's own indigenous yeasts. It was then
gently pressed off, and transferred into barrels. e wine was aged for 20 months in
French oak, approximately 85% new, before bottling in July 2010.
Production
186 cases
Other Notes
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