2019 Cervantes Blacktail Red Wine Napa Valley
Our beloved vineyard sits in the far southeast reaches of Pope Valley, which itself is in the far east of Napa Valley, in one of the most dramatic, untouched corners of this special part of the world. Each year, we treat the grape growing and winemaking as an adventure, carefully tending individual plots of half a dozen grape varieties. Our diverse plantings are part of our quest to find the most exciting expression of our unique terroir. The result of this quest each vintage, is "Blacktail," a blend of only those plots that fit together to tell the story of our vineyard, and of the vintage in a way that only we can tell it.
In the lead-up to the 2019 growing season, we were blessed with winter and spring rains that helped the vines gain strength from the very start. A generous-but very well-managed crop, and nearly ideal conditions throughout the summer, delivered fruit to the winery that was a winemaker's dream. Each harvest lot became a delicious blending component that knitted together into a complex tapestry. After months in the barrel, the character of the vintage began to show itself. The common thread is high energy. The bottled wines have captured this energy, and we feel that it will be present in the wines throughout their lives.
The 2019 Blacktail is a blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 17% Malbec, 22% Petite Sirah, and 11 % Petit Verdot. The complexity of the wine is as exciting as the blend appears. Notes of licorice, baking spices, sandalwood, and gravel are wound up in rich fruit flavors of black cherry, cassis, and baked blueberries. The wine is at once structured and accessible, with a juicy core, but enough tannins to help it age in the bottle for decades. We hope you enjoy it with family and friends at the table!
ANDY ERICKSON | WINEMAKER
2019
Vintage notes
Blacktail Proprietary Red Wine
