2016 The Crane Assembly G.B. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The Crane Assembly is an artisanal producer making luxury cuvées from an eight-acre vineyard in southern St. Helena. One of the partners behind The Crane Assembly is Dave Phinney, who founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998 and is now an international winemaking star. Phinney is the winemaker who made the wildly successful Zinfandel blend called The Prisoner, and he continues to produce moderately-priced, flamboyantly named wines from California, Europe and South America under his Orin Swift label. The Crane Assembly vineyard is thought to have been originally planted in 1885 by George Beldon Crane, making it one of the oldest vineyards in Napa Valley. Crane’s original plantings are still being farmed on four of the acres, and the partners behind The Crane Assembly note that those acres have been in continuous production for well over a century. Besides Phinney, The Crane Assembly’s partners are Darryl Browman, Bryan D. Sandoli and Kevin Fox. The Crane Assembly so far makes two Cabernet Sauvignons. The wines are generally available only through a mailing list.

Dr. Crane Vineyard was originally planted in 1858 by Napa Valley pioneer Dr. George Belden Crane. It was acquired by Beckstoffer Vineyards in 1997. Located in the city of St. Helena, the 25-acre vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Beckstoffer Vineyards owns and farms more than 3,600 acres of highly prestigious grape growing vineyards in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County. A senior executive with Heublein in the 1960s, Andy Beckstoffer is credited with steering Napa Valley vintners towards improving farming and the quality of the grapes used for wine. Grapes from any Beckstoffer vineyards are considered among the finest available in California.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.

Bottled by Natural Selection