1996 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Mount Veeder Winery was founded in 1972 by Michael and Arlene Bernstein. The 31-acre estate is in Mount Veeder in the Napa Valley. In 1982 the Bernsteins sold the winery, and it has had several other owners since then. Today it is owned by Constellation Brands, an international wine and spirits conglomerate. The estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

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.