2014 Meyer Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Meyer Family Cellars’ provenance is directly connected to some of California’s most legendary winemaking. The Yorkville, family-owned estate is operated by the husband-and-wife team of Matt and Karen Meyer. Matt’s parents are Bonny Meyer, who remains an active partner in the estate, and the late Justin Meyer, a legendary figure who with Bonny and business partner Ray Duncan founded Silver Oak Cellars in 1972. Justin, who trained as a winemaker when he was a Christian Brothers monk before later earning a viticulture degree, was the Silver Oaks winemaker and his Cabernet Sauvignons were famous and highly coveted. The Meyer family sold their interest in Silver Oak in 2001 to concentrate on Meyer Family Cellars. Today Matt and Karen, who both earned university degrees in enology, share winemaking duties. The estate primarily produces Syrah from the Yorkville Highlands appellation, Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, and Port made with grapes sourced from Lodi and Mendocino. Chardonnay, Rosé and Petite Sirah are also produced.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

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.