One of our favorite areas in the Napa Valley is in the hills east of the town of Napa. The rolling hills run through the Coombsville area and rise up to Wooden Valley, then continue east to the Sacramento Valley. This area is unique in Napa Valley, with perfectly drained volcanic soils and mineral rich alluvial soils, a cooling breeze off the San Francisco Bay, and an infinite array of slopes and exposures. The fruit for our Cerro Sur (“South Hill”) bottling comes from a breathtaking mountaintop block of Cabernet Franc planted more than 35 years ago on the famed Rancho Chimiles, high in the Vaca Mountains. Having produced this wine for more than a decade, we can confidently say that this is truly a wine from a very special terroir. The vines consistently produce wines of power, energy, balance and complexity. The Cabernet Franc character in the 2013 vintage is so strong, only a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was needed to round out the wine and provide a core of black fruit. A long maceration on the skins, minimal racking, barrel aging for 22 months in French oak, and bottling without filtration or fining, help to capture the many nuances of this special wine. Notes of blueberries, licorice, chocolate, cinnamon, and resin are among the many descriptors that come to mind when first smelling the wine. On the palate, the blue and black fruits are joined by Santa Rosa plum, black tea, smoked meats and modeling clay. The wine, in its youth, is bright, muscular, and focused, and continues to open with time in the glass. Like all of the wines from the 2013 vintage, this one will age for many years to come. 83% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon 347 cases produced