2017 Curvature Cabernet Sauvignon
Available
588 Cases Produced
James Suckling
90
"The wine that started it all… where I turned my love of Napa into a reality. Created in partnership with Suzanne and Sally at Pride Mountain Vineyards, this is a quintessential Napa Cab – a celebration of regionality, exceptional quality grapes and kick-ass female winemaking!" Cristie Kerr
Tasting Notes
Deep magenta in color, with a bouquet of ripe bramble fruits backed by cacao, coffee, and roasted aniseed. In the mouth, it is super expressive, full of sweet black fruits and spiced cedar woodcut through with fresh acidity. At this wine's core, there's a wonderful tension between brooding fruit concentration, grippy tannins, savory complexities, and a taut mineral edge. All in all, a classic Napa Cab with a gorgeously long finish. Drink now until 2030.
Blend
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak AVA, Clone 15 on 101-14 rootstock
21% Merlot, Cunat Family Vineyards, Oak Knoll AVA, clone 181 on 101-14 rootstock
3% Petit Verdot, Sage Ridge Vineyard, Saint Helena AVA
21% Merlot, Cunat Family Vineyards, Oak Knoll AVA, clone 181 on 101-14 rootstock
3% Petit Verdot, Sage Ridge Vineyard, Saint Helena AVA
Aged
20 months in barrel, all French oak, 75% new
Alcohol %
14.5
Winemaker
Helen Keplinger
Harvest Date
Harvested on October 17th, 2019 at 3am
Agro Ad Amphorum
Latin Translation: From Soil to Bottle
We sourced the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Vineyards up in Atlas Peak, while the Merlot came from Cunat Family Vineyards at Oak Knoll and the Petit Verdot from Sage Ridge in Saint Helena. Harvesting of the grapes was carried out early in the morning to capture the fresh acidity in the night-cooled fruit.
After sorting and partial destemming, Sally Johnson let the grapes cold-soak as whole berries before they went into tank. Fermentation ranged from between 14 and 31 days, with both traditional and carbonic maceration taking place to heighten the fruit layers and dynamics. Essentially, each plot of grapes determines its own process, which is where Sally's focus and intuitive skill really comes into its own. After fermentation, the wines were matured in French oak barrels (75% new oak) for around 20 months, before blending and bottling.
After sorting and partial destemming, Sally Johnson let the grapes cold-soak as whole berries before they went into tank. Fermentation ranged from between 14 and 31 days, with both traditional and carbonic maceration taking place to heighten the fruit layers and dynamics. Essentially, each plot of grapes determines its own process, which is where Sally's focus and intuitive skill really comes into its own. After fermentation, the wines were matured in French oak barrels (75% new oak) for around 20 months, before blending and bottling.
Philosophy
With the Curvature range we bring you boutique Napa wines that are both extraordinary and accessible. These are wines of character that express their place and typicity. But above all, Curvature wines are about togetherness. They began as a collaboration to unite people, and that's how they should be enjoyed – shared with laughter as a celebration of life.
The 2017 vintage was a triumph, but one tinged with tragedy. The Atlas fires broke out just after we'd harvested the last of the Cab, so while the wine was unaffected, it was made with one eye on the reddening skies. We bolstered the Cabernet Sauvignon with 21% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, making a full-blooded Napa Cab that salutes its left bank Bordeaux ancestors. Pair it with top quality beef (roast prime rib, barbecued New York strip or high-end burgers), venison tenderloin or a herby fricassée of portabello mushrooms.
The 2017 vintage was a triumph, but one tinged with tragedy. The Atlas fires broke out just after we'd harvested the last of the Cab, so while the wine was unaffected, it was made with one eye on the reddening skies. We bolstered the Cabernet Sauvignon with 21% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, making a full-blooded Napa Cab that salutes its left bank Bordeaux ancestors. Pair it with top quality beef (roast prime rib, barbecued New York strip or high-end burgers), venison tenderloin or a herby fricassée of portabello mushrooms.
