Cheryl Emmolo and her son, Charlie Wagner, remember tasting and admiring the Sauvignon Blanc grapes during the 2005 harvest. Lush, layered fruit sourced from Napa Valley’s finest, including the historic Emmolo family vineyard in Rutherford. Those same characteristics ring forth in the new release.

2005 Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley

TASTING NOTES - Charlie captured and preserved the true varietal components and flavors that intrigued him during harvest. Our 2005 vintage reminds us of a new day…crisp citrus, honeysuckle and honeydew melon aroma’s giving way to a palate of kiwi, lemon rind and mineral nuances. A mouth-coating entry with a remarkable key-lime finish. Daybreak in a glass.

VINEYARDS - The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc is a reflection of the vineyards that were carefully sourced. The vineyards, including the historic Emmolo family vineyards in the Rutherford District of Napa Valley, were farmed for optimal sun and air exposure. We experienced mild temperatures throughout most of the growing season. Some heat spikes gave us an advantage and spurred along the ripening process toward the end of harvest. The Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are grown on an open lyre trellis, which opens the leaf canopy and exposes the clusters to air exposure and dappled sunlight. This encourages the ripe, fruit forward flavors we desire. The grapes were hand-picked mid - August through late September – just as the fruit clusters turned golden in color.

WINEMAKING - Following whole cluster pressing, Charlie, fermented the wine in 100% stainless steel. In doing so, he was able to maintain the vibrant fruit characteristics of the Sauvignon Blanc. A combination of small tanks and 75 gallon steel drums were used during fermentation and aging. The use of small drums gave Charlie the most control possible during blending. In blending the various vineyard lots, we sought a multi-flavored wine with concentrated fruit flavors and well balanced acidy. Brix: 24.3, Acidity: .66g/100ml.

“Our Napa Valley Merlot displays a dark currant hue. Subtle notes of toasty oak are highlighted with dense blackberry and peppery aromas. A concentrated core of plum, black cherry and exotic coffee bean flavors coat the palate. Firm tannins give way to hints of sage and toasted spice.”
- Cheryl Emmolo, Owner

2004 Merlot
Napa Valley

VINEYARDS - The Merlot grapes were selected from two distinct vineyards in Napa Carneros and Atlas Peak. It’s our family’s consensus that the cooler regions of Napa Valley are well suited to the varietal needs of Merlot. Both vineyards are situated above the coastal fog layer and receive ideal sun exposure and cool afternoon breezes. These growing conditions yield wines that are better balanced without excessive blending. The soil composition of Carneros and Atlas Peak are unique and ring forth in our 2004 Emmolo Merlot. Carneros with its clay - shale qualities and Atlas Peak with its volcanic origin are well drained and known to produce bold wines of true varietal character.

The 2004 growing season began with early rains followed by warmer than normal temperatures in March. Bud break came early followed by fairly mild weather. A long summer with consistently warm sunny days, allowed the grapes to ripen evenly to full maturity. Some leaf thinning throughout the summer increased the fruits exposure to sun and air exposure. We hand-picked the grapes in two phases on September 17 and October 4.

WINEMAKING – In the cellar, we tended to the wine on a lot by lot basis to broaden the scope of complexity. To achieve optimal concentration of color and flavor, but refined and well-integrated fruit tannins, the temperatures were controlled during fermentation in two distinctive stages (allowing temperatures up to 90 degrees F in the first few days to encourage high extraction, then dropped temperatures to 75 degrees F as fermentation finished.) The wine then cooled to 65 degrees F for a 30-day period of gentle extended maceration on the skins. Malolactic fermentation was completed in custom-toasted French oak barrels. The wine underwent fourteen months of barrel aging marrying the rich fruit flavors with notes of light smoke and
toasted spices.