Yao Ming Family Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
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This wine is elegant. There is a purity of fruit with pronounced plum.
The fruit is framed with barrel notes of spice and baking chocolate.
94 Points: 2011 YAO MING Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Wine Enthusiast, February 2015
Tasting Notes
Appearance exhibits rich purple color with red hues. This wine is elegant. There is a purity of fruit with pronounced plum. The fruit is framed with barrel notes of spice and baking chocolate. The pallet has firm yet, supple richness from integrated tannin structure. . The wine comes together on the finish and lingers on the back of the pallet providing a long finish This wine is approachable now and will age for 7 years. The 2011 growing season is one of the coolest on record in the Napa Valley. Our winemaking patience has paid off and this is truly a winemakers’ vintage.
Vineyards
Vineyards range from our ranch a top Atlas Peak to our bench land vineyards in Rutherford. The clonal selection includes Cabernet Sauvignon 337, 4, and 6. The soils are alluvial fans and volcanic rock at an elevation of 200–1800 feet above sea level. Barrels were hand selected by taste.
Harvest: Late October 2011 through mid November. Grapes were harvested at an average of 24.6°Brix.
Winemaking
Fruit was rigorously hand-sorted and fully destemmed to small stainless steel tanks with light crushing. Cold soaks (5-7 days), warm fermentations between 29– 32°C (85-90°F), and moderate pumpovers twice each day. Total skin contact ranged from 19-34 days with all fermentations being carefully basket pressed and put to barrel on full fermentation lees for malolactic fermentation (ML). Racking was twice per year with only one assemblage being done to allow the blend to “marry” in barrel. Barrels for final blend were hand selected by taste. Native yeast and ML used with only small lots conducted using cultured Bordeaux isolates. Bottled without filtration.
2011 Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
Cooperage and Aging: 100% new barrels; 100% French Oak. Total time in barrel: 24 months
Bottling: September 2013. 300 cases produced.
Final bottling technical information: q pH: 3.55, q TA: 6.1 g/L, q Alcohol: 14.4 %
Release date: Fall 2014
Note
You may purchase wine as a gift as long as you and the intended recipient are both 21 years of age or older. The signature of an adult 21 years of age or older is required at delivery.
The fruit is framed with barrel notes of spice and baking chocolate.
94 Points: 2011 YAO MING Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Wine Enthusiast, February 2015
Tasting Notes
Appearance exhibits rich purple color with red hues. This wine is elegant. There is a purity of fruit with pronounced plum. The fruit is framed with barrel notes of spice and baking chocolate. The pallet has firm yet, supple richness from integrated tannin structure. . The wine comes together on the finish and lingers on the back of the pallet providing a long finish This wine is approachable now and will age for 7 years. The 2011 growing season is one of the coolest on record in the Napa Valley. Our winemaking patience has paid off and this is truly a winemakers’ vintage.
Vineyards
Vineyards range from our ranch a top Atlas Peak to our bench land vineyards in Rutherford. The clonal selection includes Cabernet Sauvignon 337, 4, and 6. The soils are alluvial fans and volcanic rock at an elevation of 200–1800 feet above sea level. Barrels were hand selected by taste.
Harvest: Late October 2011 through mid November. Grapes were harvested at an average of 24.6°Brix.
Winemaking
Fruit was rigorously hand-sorted and fully destemmed to small stainless steel tanks with light crushing. Cold soaks (5-7 days), warm fermentations between 29– 32°C (85-90°F), and moderate pumpovers twice each day. Total skin contact ranged from 19-34 days with all fermentations being carefully basket pressed and put to barrel on full fermentation lees for malolactic fermentation (ML). Racking was twice per year with only one assemblage being done to allow the blend to “marry” in barrel. Barrels for final blend were hand selected by taste. Native yeast and ML used with only small lots conducted using cultured Bordeaux isolates. Bottled without filtration.
2011 Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
Cooperage and Aging: 100% new barrels; 100% French Oak. Total time in barrel: 24 months
Bottling: September 2013. 300 cases produced.
Final bottling technical information: q pH: 3.55, q TA: 6.1 g/L, q Alcohol: 14.4 %
Release date: Fall 2014
Note
You may purchase wine as a gift as long as you and the intended recipient are both 21 years of age or older. The signature of an adult 21 years of age or older is required at delivery.
