2005 Hillside Reserve, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage
The 2005 growing season was influenced initially by a warm February that tricked the vines into an early budbreak, only to be followed by an unseasonably cold, wet April that caused them to stop growing. In May, temperatures returned to normal and vine growth resumed. While the growing season held many challenges, with extreme swings between hot, dry weather and cold, wet spells, the end result was a small crop of thick-skinned, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with tremendous flavor concentration.
Vineyards
The grapes for this exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon come from a number of Napa Valley's finest hillside vineyards, which boast well-drained volcanic soils and excellent sun exposures. Rob Mondavi Jr. 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, winemakers Rob Mondavi Jr. and 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: 14.5%
pH: 3.73 g/l
TA: .59 g/100 mL