1996 Fetzer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
NAPA VALLEY

ACID/pH: .61/3.50 ALCOHOL: 13.5% RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.05% BOTTLED: 4/99 RELEASE DATE: 2/00 CASES PRODUCED: 1,900 SUGG. RETAIL (CA): $30.00

WINEMAKER NOTES
The 1996 vintage in Napa Valley was a challenging but rewarding one. A wet winter was followed by a late Spring and Summer. Temperatures over the Summer season were very hot, which allowed the grapes time to "catch up" from their slow start. A brief Indian Summer in early October brought the sugar levels up in time for a short, compressed harvest. Overall fruit quality was very good. The 1996 Fetzer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented at 85° F and pumped over two to three times each day. Extended skin contact (extended maceration) for 15-18 days after fermentation softened the finished wine before it was laid down for 28 months in 85% new French oak barrels. During the first year of barrel aging, the wine was racked from barrel to barrel each quarter to continue to soften the tannins. Before bottling, the wine was lightly fined with egg whites. The wine is a moderately deep ruby color. In the nose, cassis, chocolate, and vanilla mingle with smoky tobacco and cocoa. The Napa Valley origins of this wine come through clearly in full, rich flavors of plum jam, cassis, tobacco, and cola. The French oak provides an accent of soft vanilla that balances well with the jammy, cassis-laden Cabernet fruit. Soft, supple, balanced, and accessible in style, the wine's finish is lengthy. The firm tannins and complex structure of the 1996 Fetzer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon allow for excellent aging over the next five to ten years.

GRAPE SOURCING
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% of which is from the Usibelli Vineyard, located in the famed Rutherford Bench region of Napa Valley. 25% of the wine was sourced from Andy Beckstoffer's Vinifera Vineyards in Rutherford, and 12% comes from a vineyard located near the UC Davis Oakville Experiment Station. These lots were carefully selected for this blend based on their outstanding quality and structure. All of the grapes were harvested October 1-16, 1996, at an average Brix of 23.3°.

FOOD RECOMMENDATIONS
The 1996 Fetzer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a showcase wine for grilled meats, roasts and game dishes. Meats served with berry or cherry reduction sauces will be enhanced nicely by the Cabernet's intense fruit flavors. Wild mushroom dishes are a great match with the earthy characteristics displayed by this wine.

AGING
All of the wine was aged for 28 months in French oak barrels in Fetzer's temperature-controlled subterranean barrel room. 85% of the barrels were new, 10% once-used, and 5% twice-used. Oak for these barrels is sourced from the Troncais, Vosges, and Nevers forests of central France. Most of the barrels were coopered at the winery's on-site cooperage, Mendocino Cooperage.