The
first
two
vintages
of
Cain
Musqué,
1989
and
1990,
were
grown
in
the
Hyde
Vineyard,
the
first
Sauvignon
Musqué
vines
planted
in
Napa.
After
1991,
we
went
back
to
the
source
of
the
budwood,
the
Ventana
Vineyard.
We
have
had
the
opportunity
to
explore
both
blocks
of
Sauvignon
Blanc
Musqué
to
select
the
areas
and
the
rows
to
pick.
We’ve
learned
how
to
grow
the
fruit,
when
to
pick
it,
and
when
to
vinify
it.
Although
our
Cain
Musqué
has
never
been
a
large
part
of
our
work
(less
than
10%),
and
there
has
never
been
enough
of
it
to
be
highly
visible
in
the
world
of
Sauvignon,
most
of
what
we
have
done
is
reflected
in
the
current
direction
of
Sauvignon,
the
world
over.
Relative
to
our
California
contemporaries,
we
have
picked
the
fruit
at
a
lower
degree
of
ripeness
to
preserve
freshness
and
vibrancy,
we
have
eliminated
the
influence
of
new
oak,
and
we
have
always
fermented
the
wine
completely
dry.
Our
Cain
Musqué
may
be
the
only
Sauvignon
from
California
bottled
without
filtration.
Relative
to
our
New
Zealand
contemporaries,
we
have
chosen
to
rely
on
native
yeast
fermentations,
which
we
have
conducted
in
small,
thrice-used
oak
barrels,
and
we
have
worked
on
getting
good
sun
exposure
on
our
clusters
and
reducing
the
yield
in
order
to
achieve
more
intensity.
Relative
to
our
Old
World
contemporaries,
we
share
with
a
few
of
them
the
inspiration
that
Sauvignon
is
a
noble
grape
variety
that
can
yield
great
and
complex
wines.
Through
it
all,
we
have
enjoyed
the
Musqué
project,
and
we
have
enjoyed
the
increasing
recognition
that
Sauvignon
has
received
in
the
past
15
years.
To
commemorate
our
final
vintage
of
Cain
Musqué,
we
asked
Les
Ballets
Trockadero
de
Monte
Carlo
to
dance
the
“Dying
Swan”
for
us—just
three
minutes
to
evoke
the
pathos
and,
with
a
wink
of
an
eye,
the
gladness
that
we
feel
to
be
moving
on.
This
is
a
classically
trained
male
dancer
performing
a
classical
female
role—with
just
the
appropriate
touch
of
humor.
The
“Dying
Swan”
was
performed
for
us
in
New
York
and
in
San
Francisco.
We
were
joined
by
some
of
our
distributor
and
restaurant
friends
who
had
done
the
work
of
introducing
and
explaining
our
Cain
Musqué
to
wine
lovers
like
you.
The
event
included
a
retrospective
tasting
of
some
of
the
older
vintages.
Many
people
particularly
enjoyed
the
1991
and
1994,
which
are
aging
very
gracefully
and
still
display
our
quest
for
vibrant
intensity
in
Sauvignon.
If
you
still
have
either
of
these,
or
the
1996,
1995,
or
younger,
get
one
out
and
taste
it—you’ll
be
rewarded
in
“Cain
Musqué
Heaven!” |
