2007 Wing Canyon Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

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Mission Codename: On the Wing

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Respond to reports of a small, premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer on the spectacular cool-climate Mount Veeder. Investigate their wines. If worthy of our exacting Operatives, secure an ample allocation.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Wing Canyon Vineyard

Wine Subject: 2007 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Bill Jenkins

Backgrounder:

Mt. Veeder, located on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas range has a climate that is cooler than the valley floor below. This climate and the more difficult (less fertile) volcanic mountain soil influence the flavors of the wines from this region. Best known for Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt. Veeder vineyards produce grapes of exceptional character and intensity.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Beautiful ruby red, with prefect clarity through the slightly darker heart of the wine. After a soft swirl, the wine settles quickly, leaving behind tight clusters of slow-moving legs.

Smell – Blueberry! This lovely prime note is followed by black cherry, sweet spice, blackberry, red plum and dark strawberry. Softly toasty oak and a hint of chocolate cherry candy appear after the wine opens up.

Feel – Cool and light on entry, this very bright wine seems to light up the palate, driving an edgy acidity and plush tannins around the palate.

Taste – Spiced Bing Cherry candy and raspberry blaze the path for follow-on flavors of young strawberry, cocoa powder, blackberry, star anise and dusty bramble. Brown spice, black pepper and flinty minerals appear at the end.

Finish – Very long and flavorful with spiced cherry and red fruit that gradually give way to cocoa, anise, pepper, spice and flint.

Overall – This bright Cabernet is great, right out of the bottle, but our tasting panel found that once it has a chance to breathe, it really softens and opens up. Estate grown, produced and bottled at the winery’s Mount Veeder Estate, today’s 2007 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is a great wine with wonderful aromatics, unique flavors and an ultra-long finish. Be sure to decant for best results. Pair with a hearty, flavorful red meat dish. Enjoy now, but be sure to cellar a few bottles. This gem should continue to improve for the next 10 years!

Mission Report:


WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Bill Jenkins, winemaker

WINE EDUCATION: self taught

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: vineyard worker, cellar rat +25years @ Wing Canyon

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: wine is made in the vineyard

WINEMAKER QUOTE: oenogeeks love the story of the scrappy winemaker defying all odds to make handcrafted wine with character and personality that shows up the big corporations and their non-descriptor plonk.

FIRST COMMERCIAL WINE RELEASE: 1991 was our first vintage, released in 1993


WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Bill. We are thrilled to be showing your 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

BILL: no problem

RED: Was there a specific experience in your life that inspired your love of wine?

BILL: more like a lucky decade of drinking old Bordeaux

RED: What wine or winemaker has most influenced your winemaking style?

BILL: Andre Tchelistcheff

RED: Who do you make wine for?

BILL: myself and my customers

RED: Please tell me a little bit about the wine we are featuring today.

BILL: From a very interesting split harvest. The merlot and 1/3 of the cab picked by 9-19-07, then a week of rain and hail, then the rest of the cab and cab franc picked 9-27 through 10-3-07. Canopy control was very good in 2007, so the rain interruption didn’t have any adverse effects. In fact by extending the harvest the weather 
helped develop some extra nice ripeness.

RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?

BILL: wild pheasant

RED: In your opinion, what makes the Mount Veeder so special?

BILL: Mount Veeder, cool climate approximating Bordeaux

RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?

BILL: deciding how much merlot and cab franc to blend with the 2009 Cab Sauv

RED: How would you recommend people approach your wines and wine in general?

BILL: with the expectation that attention and patience will be rewarded

RED: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

BILL: you’ll be pleased if you save a few of these bottles for awhile

RED: Thank you so much for your time. We learned a lot about you – and your wine. Keep up the great work, we are big fans!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Mt. Veeder Appellation in Napa can be seen in this satellite photo.