2017 Caravina Cabernet
2017 Caravina Cabernet
“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina is just fabulous. Bright, floral and beautifully perfumed, the 2017 is a total knockout. It is a lot fresher and more understated than has often been the case in the past. Medium in body and refined, Caravina is one of the most nuanced and classy wines in its peer group. I don’t think there is a better Napa Valley Cabernet in this price range.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Jan. 2020) 93 points
Tasting Notes
Seavey’s 2017 Caravina leads with a fresh nose of cocoa, plums, and dried cherry with hints of Christmas pine and graphite. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine reveals vibrant dark fruits and savory notes of black currant and dried bay leaves. The mouthfeel is refined and elegant. Classic and understated in style, the experience of this wine feels real and historical, a tribute to the wine’s steep hillside provenance and the unique 2017 growing season.
Ratings
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2019) 91 points
“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina was made with 5% Petit Verdot and aged 20 months in 40% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it hits the ground running with gregarious cassis, blackberry preserves and wild blueberry notes plus touches of underbrush, bay leaves, fungi and fragrant earth. Medium-bodied, the palate offers wonderful energy with plenty of vibrant black fruit and a lively line of freshness, finishing with a pleasant chewiness.”
Jeb Dunnuck (Jan. 2020) 91 points
“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot) comes all from estate fruit and can be thought of as the second wine of this great estate. Vibrant notes of cassis, red currants, tobacco leaf, cedarwood, violets, and spring flower notes all flow to a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant Cabernet that has fine tannins and a great finish. This classic, understated, elegant style of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will drink well for two decades.”
“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina is just fabulous. Bright, floral and beautifully perfumed, the 2017 is a total knockout. It is a lot fresher and more understated than has often been the case in the past. Medium in body and refined, Caravina is one of the most nuanced and classy wines in its peer group. I don’t think there is a better Napa Valley Cabernet in this price range.”
Vineyard Notes
Seavey’s 19th vintage of Caravina Cabernet comes entirely from grapes grown on the steep hillside blocks of our estate which we have now been farming for 40 years. The 2017 year began with dramatic rains that flooded the valley. Replenished after the extended drought, our vines grew with vigor through a mild spring that encouraged good fruit set. Our Cabernet grapes were harvested in late September, prior to the memorable October wildfires.
Production Notes
Seavey separately harvests, vinifies and ages each vineyard block of our grapes. Our winemaking follows classic Bordeaux methods with whole-berry fermentation. In the cool of the early morning harvest, grapes from our 2017 harvest were promptly de-stemmed and the uncrushed 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 whole-berry fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (40% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2019.
100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Blend
- 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
- Production
- 1,988 Cases
- Barrels
- 100% French Oak (40% new)
- Cellaring
- 2020 - 2038
- Bottling Date
- June 2019
- Alcohol %
- 14.5
- Winemaking Team
- Jim Duane & Philippe Melka
