2010 Caravina Cabernet

“The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Caravina is fabulous. Smoke, incense and dark red berries and smoke are some of the many nuances that take shape in the glass. This is an unusually complex second wine loaded with class and personality. I can’t think of too many wines that deliver this much sheer character for the money. Firm tannins frame the muscular finish.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2012) 92+ points

Tasting Notes

Strawberry, raspberry and melted red liquorice flavors resonate in the mouth, laced with hints of cocoa and cinnamon. The mid-palate is rich and long, with smoky, mouth-coating tannins. This opulent and round wine has considerable weight and density—a deep and velvety personality that will reveal itself fully over the course of a meal.

Ratings

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2012) 92+ points
“The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Caravina is fabulous. Smoke, incense and dark red berries and smoke are some of the many nuances that take shape in the glass. This is an unusually complex second wine loaded with class and personality. I can’t think of too many wines that deliver this much sheer character for the money. Firm tannins frame the muscular finish. Ideally the 2010 needs another few years to settle down, but it is pretty special, even today. Readers who want to understand the essence of the 2010 vintage without spending a fortune will want to check out this gorgeous Cabernet.”

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2013) 91 points
“The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina is a selection made by Philippe Melka that is, in essence, a second wine. Melka is going for a more forward, early drinking, consumer-friendly wine, and this wine achieves those goals. It offers abundant notes of licorice, roasted herbs, forest floor and damp, loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, soft, round, pure and impressive, it can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 12th vintage of estate-produced Caravina Cabernet, the 2010, was made from grapes sourced from a unique tapestry of steep hillside blocks from the vineyard. The selected blocks were notable for their intense and youthful fruit with supple tannins. The weather was moderate through most of the long growing season, with a few days of elevated temperatures in both August and September. This provided our fruit an unrushed opportunity to mature a broad and deep flavor profile with powerful aromatics, supportive structure, and notable minerality consistent with our vineyard’s soils.

Production Notes

Winemaking followed classic Bordeaux methods with whole-berry fermentation. In the cool of the early morning harvest, grapes were promptly de-stemmed and the berries were gently transferred into fermentation tanks. In order to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture, the grapes were neither crushed nor run through a pump. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 19 months before bottling in June 2012.

100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA