Titus

2006 Titus Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage
Overall, the 2006 growing season was long and steady with the exception of a cool spring with late rains and a heat spike in July. All the grapes were harvested in alignment with our predictions avoiding everything coming in at once. Interestingly, harvest at Titus Vineyards began ten days later than we would typically end allowing the grapes to benefit from the extended hang time resulting in optimum ripeness without the threat of bad weather. The lengthy 2006 growing season gifted these wines with lively aromatics, well balanced flavor profiles with beautiful concentration, and solid structure that will benefit the wines long term.

Vineyard
Our family vineyard, located on the valley floor just north of St. Helena on the Silverado Trail, possesses well-drained, sandy, alluvial soils and is characterized by its ability to produce complex wines with well-defined fruit flavors, gentle acids and naturally balanced tannins. Further north, our Ehlers Lane Vineyard consists of a stony, dry stream bed and a knoll composed of thin gravelly soil over hard volcanic ash. Planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon these infertile soils produce low yields of grapes with concentrated flavors.
 
Vinification
Following harvest, the grapes were de-stemmed but not crushed, allowing increased control over tannin extraction by minimizing the possibility of broken skins and split seeds. Following a 48-hour cold soak to extract color and flavor, the grapes underwent a warm, fermentation, with pump-overs occurring twice daily. The free-run juice was transferred to oak barrels, where it underwent malolactic fermentation.

Wine Profile
Our fifth vintage of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon exudes the unique, rich varietal characters of our best estate Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The concentrated and glass filling aromas of blackberry, black cherry, currant, and cassis come across as being steeped in espresso, chocolate, and licorice alongside delicate, sweet oak spices and subtle, floral notes of paper whites. The aromas translate directly to the palate in perfectly balanced form from fruit to tannins to oak and a rewarding long finish. The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is both smooth and drinkable for such a mouth-filling, full-bodied Cab. The recommended drinking time for this wine is four to six years from vintage, with an hour of decanting prior to drinking. The maximum suggested aging of this wine is ten to fifteen years from vintage.

Blend:                            84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec,

Barrel Aging:                 22 months, 100% French oak 80% New