The Joy of Cabernet - Rombauer Vineyards
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Atlas Peak

The Joy of Cabernet

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Our Cabernet Allocation is Available

Rombauer’s Bordeaux blend, Le Meilleur du Chai, and Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Stice Lane and Atlas Peak, are some of the finest wines crafted in the Napa Valley. The 2018 vintage is now available.

Access the Allocation

Please join the list below if you would like to be updated on these wines and the Cabernet Allocation program.

With only 24 barrels produced in the 2018 vintage, these wines are limited. Access is now open.

Sourced from meticulously farmed estate vineyards and further culled in the cellar, these are rare reserve bottlings, highly regarded among key wine critics. Due to increasing demand and limited quantities of these special wines, we have decided to offer them via allocation each year in March when we release new vintages after additional aging time in our cellar.

Cabernet Sauvignon was the very first wine Rombauer produced as it was Koerner’s favorite wine. Napa Valley represents only 4% of all the wine produced in California, with ultra-premium Cabernets such as these representing just a tiny fraction of that percentage. True wine lovers understand their scarcity, complexity, and beauty.

Our Collection of Cabernets

someone holding a bottle of wine

Stice Lane

Recognizing the Stice Lane Vineyard as a site capable of producing Cabernet Sauvignon with classic Napa Valley character, the Rombauer family produced their first wine from this site with the 2004 vintage. This wine was one of our founder Koerner Rombauer’s favorite wines and remains extraordinarily popular amongst our Cabernet lovers.

Our 2018 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 93 points by renowned wine critic James Suckling.

2018 Tasting Note

Intense aromas of cassis, black olive, and cedar are bold and enticing in the glass. Rich and viscous on the palate, cassis and olive flavors are framed by notes of dark chocolate and warm pie crust. The finish is long and lingering, giving the wine great depth and leaving you wanting another sip.

Appellation

St. Helena

Harvested

Oct. 1 - Oct. 30, 2018

Varietal Composition

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Average Brix At Harvest

25.0

Alcohol

14.80%

Cooperage

17 months in French Oak (100% new)

Fact Sheet
man holding wine

Atlas Peak

The Rombauer family produced their first single-vineyard designate from this site with the 2003 vintage. This 20-barrel blend showcases the unique character of wines from this remote, rugged site high on the hills on the eastern side of Napa Valley and is a classic example of a mountain fruit Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our 2018 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 92 points by renowned wine critic James Suckling.

2018 Tasting Note

Cranberry and cassis aromas mingle in the glass with hints of holiday spice, vanilla, and a subtle note of tobacco. The deep and concentrated palate has black fruit, vanilla, and spice flavors with ripe, firm tannins and a notable length, creating a beautifully balanced structure, typical of a mountain fruit Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

Appellation

Atlas Peak

Harvested

Sept. 27 - Oct. 1st, 2018

Varietal Composition

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Average Brix At Harvest

26.8

Alcohol

14.8%

Cooperage

17 months in French oak (60% new)

Fact Sheet
Person holding a bottle of wine

Le Meilluer Du Chai

This wine was first produced in 1983 when Koerner Rombauer and his winemaker sat down to blend their third vintage of wine. As they tasted through the lots, they realized certain barrels had a power and elegance distinct from the rest. They carefully chose those to blend and bottle separately, deeming them Le Meilleur du Chai which, in French, means The Best of the Cellar.

Our 2018 Le Meilluer du Chai was awarded 92 points by renowned wine critic James Suckling.

2018 Tasting Note

Intense black cherry and cassis aromas with notes of subtle green olive and seamless oak all mingle in the glass. The palate is poised, concentrated, and complex with continued flavors of bright cherry and cassis with hints of spice, and vanilla bean. Very finely structured tannins frame the wine and bright acidity give it freshness, creating a long and balanced, classically structured, modern Cabernet Sauvignon.

Appellation

Napa Valley

Harvested

Oct. 20th - Oct. 22nd, 2018

Varietal Composition

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot

Average Brix At Harvest

25.6

Alcohol

14.5%

Cooperage

17 months in French oak (100% new)

Fact Sheet

Winemaking Starts in the Vineyard

vineyard

Atlas Peak

Our Atlas Peak vineyard is one of our highest elevation vineyards at 1,600 feet, western facing and well above the fog line with cooler temperatures than the valley floor but full sunlight throughout the day. Its low-vigor soils mean the vines work hard for water and nutrients, sending energy to fruit production rather than vegetation and producing small berries with intense flavor.

Stice Lane vineyard

Stice Lane

This venerable vineyard in the southern part of the St. Helena AVA sits on a former riverbed, where the rocky soils are ideal for growing classically-structured Cabernet Sauvignon. This 20 acre vineyard is the hottest point in Napa Valley, this vineyard produces fruit which is dense, lush, and powerful.

vineyard

Bennet Lane

Located in the northern part of the Calistoga AVA, our Bennet Lane vineyard is home to some of the best Cabernet in Napa Valley. Selected rows are blended into our Le Meilleur de Chai, contributing to its texture and weight.

vineyard

Atlas Peak

Though the Atlas Peak vineyard is only 20 acres, we usually pick this vineyard in seven passes due to the complexity of its terrain, irrigation system and ripening pattern. This vineyard is in a highly desirable neighborhood, looking out over a veritable “who’s who” of Napa Valley vineyards.

vineyard

Stice Lane

We purchased our first grapes from this site in 2004. The quality of the fruit was so impressive that Koerner Rombauer bought the vineyard in 2005. Its older C and D blocks are considered by Winemaker Richie Allen to be among Napa Valley’s finest.

The Intersection of Art and Science

Optical Sorting

Optical Sorting

An example of our commitment to innovation and quality, this machine takes a photo of every single berry to confirm they match our standard for fruit. Berries which don’t, whether they are too small or too large, are separated and sent to compost, ensuring only the best fruit goes into these Cabernets.

grapes being sorted

Barrel Fermentation

Barrel Fermentation

One of the hallmark distinguishing factors in the winemaking process of these wines is that all fruit goes into barrel for fermentation. This process, manual and time-consuming, creates wines that are richer, have higher definition of fruit and feature a better integration of oak to create a seamlessness on the palate.

grapes fermenting

Basket Pressing

Basket Pressing

Once the wine has finished fermentation, it is drained off and the remaining fruit transferred to traditional basket presses. This process, used for centuries, is used to extract the remaining wine from the skins.

pressing grapes

Barrel Aging

Barrel Aging

The wines are then transferred to barrels to age where the years spent aging in our caves creates a seamless integration of fruit and oak. We age them for longer than many of our Napa Valley peers, ensuring the additional time imparts the structure and depth we expect and appreciate in these Cabernets.

wine barrels

"Le Meilleur du Chai is our no-holds-barred effort to achieve a wine so good it can stand up to the world’s finest red wines. It’s meant to be a transformative wine, a conversation stopper. A wine that defies description."

man sniffing wine

"The magic of winemaking is that you create something with your own hands, from your own piece of earth, that lasts for years.” - Koerner Rombauer

closeup of a wine bottle