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> Cabernet Sauvignon
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CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Our Cabernet Sauvignon comes from some of the most noteworthy vineyards in Napa Valley. Some of these are classics dating back over a century. We are very fortunate to be working with some of the finest winegrowers in Napa, the Pelissa and Del Bondio families. These families have been growing ultra premium wine grapes in Napa for four generations.
Grapes from the Del Bondio vineyard on Bella Oaks Lane in Rutherford has formed the "backbone" of our Cabernet since we started in 1998. To this fine valley floor Cabernet in various vintages we have blended Oakville Cabernet from the Pelissa and Rock Cairn vineyards. Our Merlot, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc all come from Pelissa vineyards in Yountville. In 2002 we added the Moore vineyard in the eastern hills of Napa Valley. The Moore vineyard, just northeast of Lake Hennessy, adds a new dimension of concentrated mountain Cabernet to the 2002 and 2003 vintages. In 2004 we added Volker Eisele's famed Chiles Valley vineyard located in the eastern hills of Napa Valley and produced two remarkable Cabernets. The first is a blend of Del Bondio and Eisele fruit. The second, our first wine earning a "Reserved" designation, is an extremely limited production wine - only 68 cases were bottled - was produced exclusively from the Volker Eisele vineyard. The label artwork on the Reserve bottle is courtesy of our friends at the Gallatin River Lodge near Bozeman, Montana.
All of our Cabernets are aged for 24 months in French and American oak then bottle aged for a further 10 months before release.
Our winemaking philosophy is simple. We work very hard to produce wines that reflect the varietal in the purest sense. We do as little intervention and blending as possible to achieve this goal. Our most recent release of 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a clear reflection of our winemaking approach.
In keeping with these classic lines, the bottle design depicts vintage fly fishing, pure and simple.
We currently ship to these states, preferable to a business address: AK, CA, CO, DC (District Of Columbia), FL, IA, IL, MN, NV, NH, NM, NC, TX, VA and WA.
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2006 Rutherford, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon (organic)
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The 2006 vintage marks the ninth release of Downing Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Our 2006 release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single CCOF (certified organically farmed) vineyard. The fruit comes from the Del Bondio vineyard and is located on Bella Oaks Lane just west of Highway 29 in Rutherford. The Del Bondio Rutherford organically farmed fruit has been the heart of our Cabernet Sauvignon since our first Cabernet vintage in 1998. The Cabernet is a beauty with loads of black cherry, black currant and a big sweet nose. The classic earthy Rutherford notes are unmistakable. Our production remains quite small with only 420 cases produced.
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2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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A remarkable blend of several Cabernet vineyards. Earthy Rutherford notes combined with loads of black cherry, currant and raspberry. Excellent structure and balance and a finish measured in geologic time!
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2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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Our 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a carefully crafted blend from two wonderful organically farmed cabernet vineyards. Both vineyards meet CCOF guidelines for organic farming practices and have CCOF certification. These two vineyards; the Del Bondio Rutherford vineyard located just west of Highway 29 and Volker Eisele's Chiles Valley vineyard in the far eastern hills of Napa Valley consistently produce outstanding fruit and are farmed by Napa's organic farming pioneers.
The result is a wine that is remarkable for it's complexity, concentration, depth with an almost floral aroma.
It has that hard to describe "chewyness" that we particularly love. Sorry, this is now sold out.
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2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Two Barrel Reserve - SOLD OUT!
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We produced only 68 cases of our first Reserve Cabernet. We made this primarily for charity auctions but set aside a few cases for our mailing list customers. This wonderful mountain Cabernet was produced from grapes organically farmed at Volker Eisele's famed Chiles Valley vineyard located in the eastern hills of Napa Valley.
It has a complexity and concentration characteristic of some of the best mountain cabs. Please limit your purchase to no more than four bottles. Sorry, now sold out. And yes, we know the bottle in the picture says 2002(!) but it's the only picture we had with the trout riding cowboy label on the reserve bottle!
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2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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After two years in oak and a year of bottle aging our 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is ready for release. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Del Bondio Rutherford valley floor vineyard (70%) and the Moore hillside vineyard (30%). Concentrated, chewy with unmistakable raspberry and Rutherford dust. Excellent structure with balance and tannins to make this one ageworthy. Finish measured in geologic time! This is a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon. 870 cases produced.
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2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT
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2002 was a stunning vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and this wine is no exception. The 2002 Cabernet is very special and is our first 100% Cabernet vintage.
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2001 Rutherford, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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This wine is a lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah that shows great concentration, characteristic of the 2001 vintage. This wine has complex layers, with floral notes, Rutherford dust softened by black cherry and mocha. MAGNUM MADNESS! Only one case of magnums left, and at a bottle price of $36 is the absolute deal of the day! "Don't miss...." Tobin Smith, Fox TV.
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2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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This wine is a lovely Bordeaux-style blend
consisting of 83% Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon,
7% Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and
just 3% Cabernet Franc. Forget about what the critics said about the 2000 vintage. This wine is drinking beautifully right now! Only one bottle left! TRY A MAGNUM FOR ONLY $36!
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1999 Rutherford, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT!
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Made from Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville Cabernet Franc and Oakville Merlot, this wine exhibits vibrant fruit and an earthy base layered with floral notes. It has aged for seven years in the bottle and is ready to enjoy today. "Smooth textured, with toasty oak nuances upfront. The wine serves up a complex blackberry, currant, chocolate, spice and herb pastiche that spreads out wonderfully on the palate, finishing long." - Wine Enthusiast February 2003 (91 points). Only 1 magnum bottle left.
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1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - SOLD OUT!
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This is our Premier vintage so it's a special one for us with only 200 cases produced. Last week while sorting through our personal library we decided to offer 10 of our last 12 cases to our mailing list. You can only store so much wine.... We just opened a bottle with our friends over dinner last night (December 2008) just to make sure they had been properly stored. All we can say is WOW! Cabernet Sauvignon for this classic Bordeaux blend was harvested from the Del Bondio Rutherford vineyard and the famed Rock Cairn vineyard in Oakville. This won't last long! Rated 92 by the Wine Spectator. Only one magnum bottle left.
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