Our flagship wine, a full-bodied, single vineyard red blend, grants a nodtoward elegance for the 2012 vintage. This Bordeaux-style blend is silky,reserved and supremely balanced.Lush aromatics of raspberry and dark cherry with a hint of eucalyptus,The Oracle is decadent, but with finesse. Earthiness and layers of driedflowers and cocoa integrate harmoniously into a finely balanced marriagebetween tannin and acid, providing the structure that ensures, likeall impeccable beauties, this wine is sure to age gracefully.Sitting above the fog line, Stagecoach Vineyard, located in the easternhills of Napa Valley, enjoyed the advantage of long sunlight hoursin 2012. Additionally, the afternoon winds that reached the higherelevations kept berries dry after late summer rains. The result: focusedfruit that is reflected in the impeccably refined mountain-side wines.APPELLATION100% Napa ValleyVINEYARDStagecoach VineyardBLEND54% Cabernet Sauvignon25% Cabernet Franc15% Merlot3% Petit Verdot3% MalbecHARVESTOctober 3 – 29, 2012Picked at 25 – 28.3 BrixFERMENTATION20 Months60% New French OakANALYSISAlcohol 14.4%pH 3.63TA .64PRODUCTION4,526 6-packsBOTTLEDAugust 2014RELEASE DATESpring 2016
Region Description
This tiny strip of land just north of San Francisco is home to America’s most prestigious wineries. Its climate is ideal for viticulture. Ironically, it was deemed too ideal for some vintners, who have moved their vineyards from the valley’s flat plain to the hills in the east and west, adhering to the idea that grapes that struggle to grow yield better wine. The climate, soil, and individual wineries are enormously varied, so it’s impossible to identify a singular trait of Napa wines. In addition, nearly every noble grape is grown here, although Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the primary grapes.In the past, Napa’s wines have alternated between extremely fruity and fat to lean and subtle. Today the best Napa wines have achieved a balance between these extremes. Many are made to be drunk young and have abundant ripe fruit; others can be initially hard and tannic, but soften over four or five years to perfumed, cedary fruit. White Napa wines are excellent with fresh-grilled fish and chicken, but can also cope with more spicy and creamy flavors. Many Napa reds will overwhelm delicate cuisine, but rich red meat and cheeses do make good companions.
