2013 Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a 32-acre valley-floor vineyard. It’s from an unusual site just under the mid-valley Yountville knoll just south of Opus One which protects the vineyard from the morning sun. The Pelissa family have grown grapes here since 1903 and the wine was introduced by a fifth-generation Kendall Hoxsey Onysko. Her father took over in 1990. They sold the fruit to Nickel & Nickel until 2004 which was the first vintage of this wine. The family bought the custom-crush facility Napa Wine Co in 1991. They own a total of 600 acres, all of which have been certified organic since 1991. In 2013 there was a warm, dry winter followed by a very good flowering. Aged for 24 months in French oak, lots of it new. pH 4. The family’s other brands are Elizabeth Rose and Oakville Winery. This producer is not currently exporting to the UK. Dark, blackish crimson. Intense, floral nose. Then a salty start which really lifts it. Smooth and actually quite subtle. Dry finish but appetisingly so. Polished and quite racy. Sweet ink? Not too hot or sweet. (JR)