Ingenue Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Ingénue, a Left Bank style Red Wine blend created from our California vineyards originally inspired by Château Mouton Rothschild.

The blend varies according to the character of each vintage, however, Cabernet Sauvignon always predominates to give Ingénue its rich tannin, its wealth of aroma and flavor, while Merlot, an inseparable companion, brings suppleness, roundness and exceptional length.

French Cabernet Sauvignon does best on Bordeaux Left Bank while Merlot and Cabernet Franc grow better from the sandy clay soils of the Right Bank.

In California, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec grow well in the higher elevations of Napa’s mountains while Merlot thrives in the slightly cooler, sandy clay soils of Sonoma.

Following this perspective we maintain vineyards in both Napa and Sonoma to preserve the traditional integrity of our Californian terroir as closely as possible to our French counterparts.

The color is an intense, deep red with a crimson tint.

The nose shows beautiful cedar and herbs de Provence, a combination of thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano and lavender.

The aroma just sucks you in and then from a rich and sweet mouthful of pleasure the palate expands to hints of vanilla and chocolate, underpinned by refined tannin.

The firm and well-rounded structure reveals a long finish of profound aromatic intensity.

A beautiful wine which inspires the palate. Decant for at least one hour and serve at 65°F

The grapes from each plot are fermented in separate five-ton, temperature-controlled, stainless steel fermentation tanks in order to preserve the identity of the terroir.

Upon completion of alcoholic fermentation, the wines are tasted before being drawn off to the fine wine tanks. The free run juice and the pomace are separated and the pomace is pressed independently in order to extract the “press wine” separately.

A second fermentation phase, called malolactic fermentation, takes place in tank before the wine is transferred into barrels.

The ageing phase commences in the cellar and takes 20 months during which the cellar master racks the wines regularly in order to clarify them naturally. No fining agents are used so the wines remain vegan.

While ageing, several tastings from each barrel are carried out. Blending takes place after the individual wines have aged in barrel for a little over twelve months and have started to show their development.

The blends are then returned to barrel for around eight months allowing them to integrate into a wine with its own unique characteristics.

All of the barrels come from French cooperages with whom we have had an association for over twenty years.

Selected from two French forests, the wood is air dried and coopered over a five-year production period and finished with a special “toasting” suited to the delicate characteristics of our wines.
Only 100 cases produced. Our vineyards are farmed to the code of sustainable agriculture using traditional techniques, based on strict control of yields, manual harvests and numerous quality specific tasks that are carried out by hand throughout the year.

Little or no chemical fertilizers are used. Selection and planting of cover crops and their return to the soil provides additional organic nutrients allowing our vines to reach an advanced age and produce outstanding grapes.
Color Red
Vintage 2016
Harvest Date 10th Oct 2016
Style Red Bordeaux
Appellation Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Date Bottled 26th Jul 2018
Drinkable 2022 - 2032
Alcohol 14.80%
Bottle Size 750ml