Roy Estate: Napa Valley, California:

Our seventeen acre Roy Estate vineyard was planted in 2001 and 2002 by Pina Vineyard Management under the direction of Helen Turley. The vineyard is divided into seventeen blocks: twelve Cabernet Sauvignon, four Merlot and one block of Petit Verdot. The three varietals are planted with four rootstocks and nine clones. The spacing is six feet by three feet, which equals 2,430 vines per acre. The vineyard has elaborate irrigation systems which allow us to farm vine by vine.

The Piña Company is also responsible for the farming of the vineyard. The tight spacing of the vines cause the vines to compete with each other, thereby producing more intense fruit. The extreme rocky soil also adds to the character of the fruit. John Piña says, "It doesn't get any better than this!"

One distinguishing aspect of this property is that the Wappo Indians lived here along a rock ledge overlooking a spring; we respect and honor this key part of the ranch’s history.

WINEMAKER:

Philippe Melka believes winemaking begins in the vineyard. From vineyard design to careful pruning, irrigation and canopy management, his goal is to develop the most intense fruit possible. The grapes are harvested block by block in order to insure maximum ripeness from each block. At the winery, grapes from each block are destemmed, cold-soaked and fermented separately.

After primary fermentation, the wine is transferred into 100% new Taransaud oak barrels. The wine gently ages in the barrel for eighteen to twenty months. Philippe meticulously nurtures and samples the wines from each barrel. Before bottling, Philippe decides on the final blends. The wine is released twelve to eighteen months after bottling.

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  Red Wine and Cabernet Sauvignon