The vines for this wine were carefully grown on our Yountville Cross Road estate, then harvested at the peak of flavor throughout September and October 2003. The grapes were destemmed and gently transferred into fermentation tanks, where they fermented on the skins for just over two weeks. Aged in small barrels (50% new) for about 19 months, the wine was minimally filtered just prior to bottling in May 2005. The final blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, from 100% estate-grown fruit.
Located at the northwest corner of the Silverado Trail and Yountville Crossroad, the vineyard soil is a light clay-loam, sprinkled with tumbled, kiwi-sized river-rocks. With its proximity to the Stags Leap District, the vineyard receives cooling breezes most afternoons, originating from San Pablo Bay. The vineyard is farmed with the highest quality considerations, and fruit clusters are thinned to prevent crowding or shading for optimal color and flavor development.
Our darkest, ripest, richest Cabernet offering to date, the Rocca 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon offers very dark blackberry and black raspberry aromas, in addition to the dark chocolate and clove spice aromas which abound from this Yountville vineyard. On the palate the wine is rich, warm, and full-bodied, with a soft texture from start to finish. Mixing with the velvety texture are sweet blackberry, dark fruit syrup flavors that leave a lingering impression of sweet summer fruits.