Hello Mountain Wine Club!
For your November shipment, we are delighted to send two of Napa Valley’s finest wines: 2021 Restricted Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain District and 2022 Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc from Mount Veeder.
Fall in the vineyard marks the end of harvest. With the grapes picked, the vines begin to shut down, storing their reserves for winter dormancy. The leaves turn vibrant hues before falling, and vineyard crews turn their focus to soil care and preparing the vines for the next growing season. While the vines rest, the foundation for the next vintage quietly takes shape underground.
Made exclusively for the Mountain Wine Club, Restricted is an ever-evolving collection that allows winemakers Chris Carpenter and Gianna Ghilarducci to hand select vineyards, blocks, and rows according to vintage, quality, and inspiration. The grapes for the Restricted Cabernet Sauvignon come from exceptional blocks in our estate Yverdon Vineyard, which sits at 1,600 feet in elevation in the Spring Mountain District. The vineyard’s weathered, well-draining volcanic soils, cool daytime temperatures, and steep terraces combine to create ideal growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc is sourced from our estate Mt. Brave Vineyard, which perches high atop Mt. Veeder at elevations ranging 1,400 to 1,800 feet. While the mountain has been planted with winegrapes since the early 1860s, thick forests and craggy peaks limit vineyard acreage. The thin, rocky soils and steep slopes make water retention difficult, erosion a constant challenge, and farming labor-intensive, but the struggle is worth the reward. The vines produce intensely flavored berries with finely grained tannins and lively acidity.
After achieving organic certification of the Yverdon and Mt. Brave Vineyards in 2023, we are now approaching regenerative accreditation. The quality of the fruit has reached a new excellence, while the vines have become more resilient without artificial treatments. Our team is incredibly proud to farm with methods that contribute to a better global climate, healthier land, and even more compelling wines—like the Restricted Cabernet Sauvignon and Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc that we are honored to share with you today. Enjoy!
Peace,
Winemaker Chris Carpenter
