Cade 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Howell Mt., Napa Valley

The Cade Estate is situated on a 54 acre property with 21 acres planted to vines with an ideal southwest facing exposure. Located in the heart of Howell Mountain, the CADE Estate Reserve vineyard sits at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 1,850 feet and is planted to 19 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 acre of Malbec and 1 acre of Petit Verdot.

The 2015 vintage was a drought year, resulting in low yields, warm temperatures, and their earliest end to harvest on record.The juice was fermented in a combination of stainless steel tanks 95%, and 500L new French oak puncheons 5%. Fermentation was hot and fast with temperatures reaching a maximum of 90°F and the juice macerating on the skins/seeds for 7-9 days. The wine was aged for 20 months in 100% New French Oak barrels. Only free run wine was used in the blend, no press fractions were selected. Racking occurred immediately after the completion of malolactic fermentation, then on a quarterly basis until bottling.

A very limited quantity of this Cade Reserve Cab was produced and it has received high praise. The Wine Advocate scored it 95+ saying "As for the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, this is young and promising with intense crème de cassis and blackberry fruit, licorice, forest floor and earth. It is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. Powerful (15.6% natural alcohol), the wine is neither hot, nor rustic. Its plush tannins and long finish suggest a future of a good 20+ years, even though it is already approachable."

Antonio Galloni scored it 96 saying "The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is dark, inky and voluptuous. Super-ripe black cherry, plum, chocolate and cloves are all amped up in this unctuous, inky Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. There is more than enough fruit intensity to fill out the wine's ample, full-bodied frame. This powerhouse Cabernet is going to need at least a few years to come into its own."

Jeb Dunnuck scored it 96+ saying "Also bottled under screwcap, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve checks in as a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in new French oak. It offers a big, sweet nose of crème de cassis, blueberries, lavender, bay leaf and hints of earth. Deep, layered and concentrated, with sensational purity of fruit, it's a perfectly balanced 2015 that has everything you could want from this vintage. Like the Howell Mountain estate, it's tannic and in need of 4-5 years of cellaring."