Hope & Grace Wines
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon(Napa Valley)
Hope & Grace owner/winemaker Charles Hendricks believes in letting nature take its course in the vineyard, and then practicing minimal intervention in the cellar. After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in viticulture, he went on to work with some of the top producers in the country including Viader, Barnett, Regusci, Paoletti, Bacio Divino, and Stelzner. These many contacts gave him access to the top fruit sources he now incorporates into his own line of wines, named after his two daughters. He produces
Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey, a Napa Valley Chardonnay, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Total production is 2,000 cases.
The fruit for the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is 50% from the Llewellyn Vineyard in St. Helena, 35% from Dry Creek Vineyard, Napa, and 15% from Illsley Vineyard in the the Stags Leap District. Only 450 cases of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon were produced, so it will be hard to find.
Lavishly oaked but with understated fruit for balance, the wine has dark and earthy notes with cassis, lilac, wet tree bark, nutmeg, mint and basil. Smooth, creamy texture turns chewy as oak tannins kick in. It has a slightly drying finish now, which should soften with age, or aeration.
Reviewed December 12, 2006 by Catherine Fallis.
Other reviewed wines from Hope & Grace Wines
Hope & Grace Wines 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lewelling Vineyards (Napa Valley)Catherine Fallis 6/13/2007 |
The Wine
Winery: Hope & Grace Wines |
The ReviewerFounder and President of Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing the joy of wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people, Catherine is creator of the “grape goddess guides to good living,” a series of books, television presentations, seminars, and e-learning programs. The fifth woman in the world to become a Master Sommelier, grape goddess Catherine Fallis is still very much down-to-earth. |