Artisan Wine & Spirits® Flora Springs – 6056980447391

Notes from the Winemaker:

Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley Vineyard:
Old Block C – Komes Ranch, planted in 1988
– clone 7 / 5-C rootstock
– vertical trellis, 10 x 7 spacing
– sandy bale loam soil
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cases Produced: 500
Aging: 22 months in 95% French, 5% American oak (70% new)

Named for the founders of our historic 1885 winery, our Rennie Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon stems from thirty years of farming a small, three-acre block on the Flora Springs Estate in the far southwest corner of the St. Helena appellation. With the precise use of deficit irrigation, perfectly matched clone to soil selection and proper row orientation, this block is arguably the finest of our 650 acres of vineyard. We call it Block C, a percentage of which we use to create our Rennie Reserve Cabernet.

The 2013 vintage exhibits a dense, dark chocolate character in the nose, followed by black currant and juniper berries. Crème de cassis explodes in the mouth, with hints
of coffee, black pepper and sandalwood rounding out the mouthfeel. This is a larger-than-life Cabernet, finishing with notes of ground allspice that linger on the palate. The Rennie Reserve wine can be paired with any hearty dish including your favorite cut of beef.

95 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate:
“Another of their single-vineyard offerings that has a proven track record for long-term cellaring is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rennie Reserve, which comes from holdings in St. Helena. This shows the valley’s beautiful crème de cassis fruit, nice judicious touch of toasty oak and licorice, full-bodied mouthfeel, and no hard edges. Tannins are present, but round and well-integrated. This is a full-bodied wine made for drinking over the next 20-25 years, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see it last longer. ” – Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Dec 2015)

94 Points – James Suckling:
“Wow. Impressive nose with so much dark and opulent fruit, yet remains floral and precise. Full-bodied palate with lots of licorice, dark chocolate, black currant and toasted oak. Flamboyant yet fresh and lively. Drink now.” – May 3rd, 2016

93 Points – Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine:
“Yet another noteworthy member of the latest Flora Springs family of handsome Cabernets, the Rennie Reserve is again a wine of great varietal precision and depth with loads of very deep black currant fruit that is enriched by a judicious dollop of creamy oak. It is fairly open and inviting right from the start and, even though moderately tannic, remains juicy and generously fruity through to an especially long finish, but for all of its obvious richness and early polish, it is solidly structured with plenty of promise for better with age and is a sure bet to find increased range and complexity if held for six to eight years.”

90 Points – Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
“Meaty, dusty and leather-scented, this 100% varietal reserve-level wine is elusive in its fruit expression at first, reveal ing instead densely packed layers of black pepper and tannin. As it opens, more complex cocoa powder, black cherry and currant notes emerge.” -VB (May 2017)