CAIN CUVÉE NV13

Tasting notes:

As intellectually stimulating as it is delicious, this curio from Chris Howell is actually a blend of two vintages and it is produced to allow affordability alongside complexity, not your typical Napa combination. A base of the excellent 2013 vintage, with selected lots from 2012, this is all about freshness, complexity and balance, with a mouth-watering texture and finish. Hugely satisfying and stimulating – and a great advert for the power of blending.

About the wine:

Winemaker's Notes: "Vintages: 60% 2012, 40% 2013. Appellation: Napa Valley. Vineyard Locations: 61 % Spring Mountain District and 39% Napa Valley Floor. NV13 is our biggest, most dramatic Cain Cuvée to date. For this wine, we look for early drinkability—and you will find it. The two vintages composing the NV13 Cain Cuvée, 2013 and 2012, are two of the richest, ripest, most powerful vintages in the past 30 years. Of these two, 2012 is the lusher and most immediately accessible, while the 2013 is more reserved and more structured. Together, they harmonize beautifully to create the biggest, richest Cain Cuvée to date.

About the producer:

Cain Vineyard & Winery is cradled in a spectacular bowl overlooking the Napa Valley from the crest of the Spring Mountain District.

Founded in 1980, Jerry and Joyce Cain purchased 550 acres, part of the historic McCormick Ranch, on Spring Mountain. Their vision was to develop a mountain vineyard dedicated to the classical blend of varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The fruit of this vineyard would inspire the creation of the Cain Five—its first vintage was 1985. As the project was coming into focus, the Cains were joined by Jim and Nancy Meadlock. The Meadlocks became partners at the beginning of 1986, and, since the retirement of the Cains in 1991, have carried on as sole owners, providing steadfast and active support for this very long-term project.