Cain Vineyard & Winery 'Cain Five' Red Blend, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California 2006
Regular price
$185.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Cain Vineyard & Winery sits in a natural bowl at the crest of the Mayacamas Range in the Spring Mountain District, a site first planted in 1981 when Jerry and Joyce Cain acquired 550 acres of the historic McCormick Ranch. Jim and Cindy Meadlock became sole owners in 1991, the same year Christopher Howell took over as wine-grower and general manager — a role he still holds today. From the outset, the vision was a classic five-variety Bordeaux blend grown entirely on the estate, and Cain Five has remained the winery's flagship expression of that idea: a wine built for the long haul rather than immediate drinking.
- WINEMAKER: Christopher Howell, Wine-Grower/General Manage
- FARMING: Dry-farmed, sustainably managed estate vineyard; Napa Green Land certified, with Fish Friendly Farming practices adopted even before that certification existed
- VARIETY: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec
- TERROIR: Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley. The estate Cain Vineyard is cradled in a bowl at 1,400–2,100 feet along the crest of the Mayacamas Range, on sedimentary soils of decaying sandstone and shale — high in clay, calcium, and magnesium, low in potassium and overall fertility, contributing to naturally restrained yields.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-picked and gently destemmed with no obsessive sorting, fermented on native yeast, and pressed manually. Malolactic fermentation completed in barrel, with an early blend the following spring.
- AGING: Extended barrel élevage, finished with a gentle egg-white fining and bottled without filtration. 14.1% ABV. Original production of 6,043 cases; this bottling was held back and released as a library selection on January 1, 2016.
- TASTING NOTES: A warm, plump, and plush wine with a mouth-filling texture — not silky, but expressive, rewarding patience over immediacy. A subtle, roasted nose speaks of warm sun and ripe fruit with no trace of over-ripeness, while the palate carries full, well-integrated tannins. Now with two decades of age, the vineyard's signature herbal and floral character has given way to layers of tobacco and spice, balancing the sweetness and comfort of a classically warm Napa vintage against a still-tight, well-structured core.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Braised short ribs, grilled lamb, aged hard cheeses.
- SCORES: 94 points, Decanter
Cain Vineyard & Winery 'Cain Five' Red Blend, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California 2006
Regular price
$185.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Cain Vineyard & Winery sits in a natural bowl at the crest of the Mayacamas Range in the Spring Mountain District, a site first planted in 1981 when Jerry and Joyce Cain acquired 550 acres of the historic McCormick Ranch. Jim and Cindy Meadlock became sole owners in 1991, the same year Christopher Howell took over as wine-grower and general manager — a role he still holds today. From the outset, the vision was a classic five-variety Bordeaux blend grown entirely on the estate, and Cain Five has remained the winery's flagship expression of that idea: a wine built for the long haul rather than immediate drinking.
- WINEMAKER: Christopher Howell, Wine-Grower/General Manage
- FARMING: Dry-farmed, sustainably managed estate vineyard; Napa Green Land certified, with Fish Friendly Farming practices adopted even before that certification existed
- VARIETY: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec
- TERROIR: Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley. The estate Cain Vineyard is cradled in a bowl at 1,400–2,100 feet along the crest of the Mayacamas Range, on sedimentary soils of decaying sandstone and shale — high in clay, calcium, and magnesium, low in potassium and overall fertility, contributing to naturally restrained yields.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-picked and gently destemmed with no obsessive sorting, fermented on native yeast, and pressed manually. Malolactic fermentation completed in barrel, with an early blend the following spring.
- AGING: Extended barrel élevage, finished with a gentle egg-white fining and bottled without filtration. 14.1% ABV. Original production of 6,043 cases; this bottling was held back and released as a library selection on January 1, 2016.
- TASTING NOTES: A warm, plump, and plush wine with a mouth-filling texture — not silky, but expressive, rewarding patience over immediacy. A subtle, roasted nose speaks of warm sun and ripe fruit with no trace of over-ripeness, while the palate carries full, well-integrated tannins. Now with two decades of age, the vineyard's signature herbal and floral character has given way to layers of tobacco and spice, balancing the sweetness and comfort of a classically warm Napa vintage against a still-tight, well-structured core.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Braised short ribs, grilled lamb, aged hard cheeses.
- SCORES: 94 points, Decanter