2006 Hillside Reserve, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
35 Years of Napa Valley Roots
Napa Valley native and winemaker, Tony Coltrin, brings more than 35 years of winemaking experience to Oberon, with expertise in sourcing quality fruit from the best vineyards in the valley and understanding the region’s uniqueness for growing classic Bordeaux varieties. His long-standing relationships with local growers ensure a consistency in the quality of the grapes grown in premier Napa Valley sub-appellations for Oberon.
Vintage
Napa Valley’s 2006 grape growing season was nearly textbook, marked by consistently outstanding, high-quality, abundant crops. Bloom and set-on-the-vine occurred a few weeks later than usual because of cool and wet weather that lasted well into Spring, but by June the vines were back on track. In mid-July, a record-setting heat wave lasted about ten days, but due to the earlier delays, the damage to the grapes was nearly non-existent. In fact, most growers agree that the heat helped where they should be in a “typical” growing season. The weather returned to normal and the grapes were able to ripen in ideal conditions until harvest began in early September.
Vineyards
Valley’s finest hillside vineyards –our Oso Vineyard in Pope Valley, Suscol Ranch in southern Napa, and Atlas Peak vineyards -which boast well-drained volcanic soils and excellent sun exposures. Tony Coltrin believes these conditions, which foster vines with modest canopies and small crops of intensely flavored grapes, produce the very best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons.
Winemaking
After gently de-stemming and crushing the fruit, winemaker Tony Coltrin fermented the free-run juice in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, stretching the post-fermentation maceration period to 28 days. This extended juice-skin contact time beautifully married the intense, dark fruit flavors and mature, supple tannins of our Hillside Reserve, giving the wine an opulent mouthfeel. Malolactic fermentation in barrel, combined with 18 months aging in French oak barrels, 66% new, further concentrated the wine’s big, ripe fruit, adding nuances of coffee and toasted vanilla to its lush, lingering finish.
Enjoy this luxurious Cabernet Sauvignon with grilled steak, rib roasts, lamb shanks and venison.
Wine Facts
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 100%
Appellation: Napa Valley
Barrel Aging: 18 months in French oak (66% new French oak)
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.61
TA: .63 g/100 mL
Click here to download the 2006 Hillside Reserve Vintage Note