Honig Bartolucci Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
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Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Rich, broad fruit characters. Cherry cobbler and blackberry notes with underpinnings of French oak. Silky mid-pallet is balanced by firm tannins. This age worthy wine will continue to develop through 2027 and longer.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bartolucci vineyard on Dean York Lane in St. Helena. Deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Bartolucci Vineyard offers vibrant cassis, blackberries and mulberries scents with hints of olives, bay leaves and tilled soil. The palate is full-bodied, firm and fine-grained with background freshness and plenty of energy in the finish. Nice!
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Wine & Spirits
Kristen Belair harvested this wine on September 18 through 20, capturing beautifully ripe fruit in this 2017. It grows at a vineyard at the base of Spring Mountain, where the vines in benchland soils ripened their grape skins to a deep black cherry–scented richness. The tannins are breathable, ghosting past the fruit in a whisper of flavor that lasts, the memory of a summer cherry and the burst of its juice. Good wine if you drink it now; great wine if you age it.
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Jeb Dunnuck
All varietal, the deep purple-hued 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Bartolucci Vineyard offers a great nose of ripe black fruits, toasted spice, chocolate, and leafy herbs. Bringing beautiful depth and texture, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, lush mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's an impressive 2017.
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The Honig Family purchased their 68-acre vineyard in Rutherford in 1964, and sold the grapes they grew to neighboring wineries. In 1980, the family tried their hand at producing their own Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, to great acclaim. Michael Honig took over management of the winery in 1984, at the age of 22. In 1987, the Honigs made their first Cabernet Sauvignon. Under Michael, Honig's direction, the winery has grown from a small "garage winery" to a 25 person operation. Using solar power and sustainable farming methods, winemaker, Kristin Belair focuses on two varietals: Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This focus allows her to produce handcrafted wines that are a true expression of the vineyard.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.