The 2002 Concept emphasizes the lush fruit and supple tannins of grapes grown on the alluvial fans lining the edges of the Napa Valley and the hillsides of Carneros. For Cabernet, these include the famed Rutherford and Oakville districts, the outfalls of York and Conn Creeks west of St. Helena and, for Cabernet Franc, the cool climate and sandy soils of Napa’s Carneros region.

In the heart of the Napa Valley, the deep, well-drained and gravelly soils of the Georges III and the Tokalon vineyards hold the natural vigor of Cabernet Sauvignon in check. Here, the warm days and cool nights of the valley’s benchlands bring the full fruit flavors and aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon to full potential. These two highly regarded vineyards comprise the majority of our Concept blend. For Cabernet Franc, we turn to Carneros. The extended hang-time needed to ripen Truchard Vineyards’ Cabernet Franc in the cool Carneros region intensifies the color and varietal character.

This wine is an accurate reflection of the vintage, the vineyards, and the Cain style. It is ripe, plummy, rich and dusty, reflecting a long, warm summer in the Oakville and Rutherford districts of the Napa Valley. It also exhibits the restraint, finesse, and exceptional mouthfeel characteristic of the Cain style of winemaking.

Our winemaking program is simple: hand picking, gentle destemming, native yeast fermentation, thoughtful maceration, and manual pressing. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, is blended in the summer following harvest, is racked barrel-to-barrel, egg white fined and bottled without filtration. The 2002 Concept spent about 19 months in French oak barrels, 75% new.