2006 Baldacci Family Vineyards Brenda's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Baldacci Family Vineyards was founded in the 1990s by Thomas and Brenda Baldacci. Thomas was president of a Bay Area family real estate development company. A love of fine wine and the Napa Valley prompted the couple to buy land in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley and today they own 45 acres of vineyards in Stags Leap, Carneros and Calistoga. Michael Baldacci, one of the Baldacci’s four sons, is company president. Winemaker is Rolando Herrera, whose first winery job was at at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Baldacci makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and a red blend.

Stags Leap District AVA in southern Napa Valley has a storied history. It is home to Stag’s Leap Cellars, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Judgment of Paris blind tasting that included several of Bordeaux’s most exalted First Growths. Vineyards were started in area in the late 19th century, but the district’s rise in prestige started in the late 1960s when Nathan Fay planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Fay later sold his estate to Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Cellars. The district was given its own AVA designation in 1989, and today there are 1,400 vineyard acres. The AVA is especially notable because it was the first in the U.S. to be granted AVA status based on terroir. Its distinctive soils is a mix of volcanic soils, river sediment and loamy clay-like soil. Because the soils don’t retain water well, vineyards in Stag’s Leap tend to grow fruit with great intensity and flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 95% of the grapes planted in Stags Leap.

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.