Mayacamas Red Wine

Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley

Vineyards and Winemaking

Each year we strive to create wines that reflect site, vintage, and style. Our Red Wine is a Left Bank Bordeaux inspired blend with Cabernet Sauvignon as the feature, and Merlot and Cabernet Franc playing important supporting roles. The goal is to capture the depth of site present across all our red varietals – with representations from each of thirty-five sub-blocks.

Our twenty-six Cabernet Sauvignon Blocks, six Merlot blocks and five Cabernet Franc blocks are spread across the 465-acre Estate at elevations ranging from 1,800 ft to 2,200 ft. There are numerous soil profiles across these blocks, including fractured volcanic cobbles, gravelly loam and cobbled clay. These well-drained, low-vigor soils, combined with rugged topography and intense exposure create multiple microclimates where each varietal develops distinct structure and aromatic character. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2013.

Harvest

Our harvest typically starts at the end of August and concludes in early October. The grapes are hand harvested early in morning and delivered to the winery cold to preserve their integrity. Our winemaking team then inspect and sort clusters prior to destemming. The destemmed berries (must) are then transferred to tank for fermentation.

We ferment using a combination of concrete tanks, stainless steel tanks, and oak cooperage depending on the vineyard block and desired extraction profile. The fermenting is pumped over and mixed each day to homogenize temperature and extract color, tannin and flavor from the skins.

Fermentation and maceration (time on skins) is typically between 10 and 25 days – flavor depending. Fermentation temperatures are moderate, generally peaking around 80F during active fermentation. The wine is then drained off skins and the skins are pressed to extract the last remaining wine.

Aging

Aging occurs in oak cooperage of various size, age, and origin. 12 Months of aging occurs in large format foudre with sizes ranging from 330-gallons (1,200L) to 1,200-gallons (45HL). These are a mix of French, American and Austrian oak and quite seasoned, with some nearly 100-years old. An additional 12 months of aging occurs in 60-gallon (225 L) barrique and 158-gallon puncheon (600 L). Total élevage is 24 Months. Bottle conditioned for 1 year prior to release.

The final blend varies by vintage but is typically Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant, forming the structural backbone of the wine. Cabernet Franc contributes aromatic lift and precision, and Merlot provides for mid-palate breadth and texture.