Similar to the acclaimed 2016 growing season, Napa Valley’s 2019 vintage began with considerable rainfall and a mild, long summer, experiencing few weather extremes. From a winemaker’s perspective, this vintage promises to produce a beautifully structured wine.
In the Melanson Vineyard, we returned to the lower yields of pre-2018 vintages, probably (and ironically) made even less prodigious by the rains. Cooler temperatures meant the vines flowered much later than usual, and rain at the end of May likely disrupted fruit set. We saw this throughout the Napa Valley in hillside vineyards, which typically set later than those on the valley floor.
Despite the tiny amount of fruit we harvested, the 2019 Pulido~Walker Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as good as any wine we’ve made from this site thus far. Nature was wildly generous in quality, if not quantity, on Pritchard Hill. This wine is very likely on par with the perfect-scoring 2018 and may prove to be our finest result from the Melanson Vineyard to date.
Thomas Rivers Brown, Winemaker
Melanson Vineyard
Between boulders clinging stubbornly to the steep slopes of Pritchard Hill, the Estate Grown Melanson Vineyard sits east of Oakville among some of the most highly regarded and closely held vineyard properties in the Napa Valley. Vines grow at elevations from 1,100 to 1,350 feet above sea level, in fractured serpentine and clay soils laden with igneous and seabed rock.
Melanson’s southwestern exposure is a distinct advantage, especially at elevations that translate to later bud break and harvest. Solar radiation is magnified at this altitude, while variations between high and low temperatures are moderated. The result is mountain fruit with thicker skins and higher tannins. The ink-black, super-concentrated berries are powerfully expressive of the site, with pronounced granite minerality. The higher tannins give the wine more structure with less weight on the palate and excellent aging potential.
Data
Estate Grown
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Clones: 7 and 337
Aging: 20 months in 100% French oak (90% new barrels)
Barrel Coopers: Darnajou, La Grange, and Taransaud
Alcohol: 14.5% by vol.
Titratable Acidity: 5.5 g/L
pH: 3.83
Bottling Date: June 2021
Production: 98 Cases
Site
Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley
Acreage: 10.5 acres on Pritchard Hill, adjacent to Colgin Estate
Elevation: 1,100–1,350 ft.
Soil Composition: Fractured serpentine and clay with igneous and seabed rock
