Mayacamas Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Mayacamas Vineyards is located in the Mayacamas Mountains that divide the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Near the summit of Mount Veeder, the old stone winery was dug into the side of a dormant volcano crater in the late 19th century. Fifty-two acres of vineyards are planted on mountainsides ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 feet above sea level. Obsidian arrowheads and stone grain-grinding bowls found on the property bear silent testimony to Mayacamas' first human inhabitants, the Native Americans of the Wappo tribe. Conditions are grueling...the wines of Mt. Veeder are a testament to the efforts of vignerons with true passion and dedication.

Mayacamas' oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards were planted in the early 1960s. The mountain terroir at Mayacamas Vineyards, ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 feet above sea level, provides the grapes with their distinctive, intense flavors. Mount Veeder is a volcanic peak, and the soils on the mountain are complex; they include ash, tufa, sedimentary soils, and lava. Many of the slopes are steep, requiring vineyard terraces. The slopes are steep, the soils are thin and the viticulture is back-breaking, but, the result is intense, chewy wines with distinctive wild berry fruit flavors and magnificent spice.