2004 Chateau Boswell Beckstoffer Vineyard IV Cabernet Sauvignon

Chateau Boswell on the Silverado Trail was established in 1979, which the vintage of the estate’s debut release. Susan and Thornton Boswell founded the winery with consulting from the legendary Andre Tschelistcheff. Today the estate is often under the radar of the general wine buying public, and it has only a few acres under vine. Much of the fruit used for production is sourced from premium vineyards in the region. Chateau Boswell makes extremely limited amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Luc Morlet was making the wine until he left in 2012. More recent vintages have been crafted by Russell Bevan. Reviewers are generally complimentary.

St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of Napa Valley just north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. It is a relatively warm climate thanks to the Mayacamas Mountains on its western edge, which protect it from Pacific Ocean fog. Out of the 9,000 acres in the appellation, some 1,500 are under vine. The principal grapes grown in St. Helena are the Bordeaux grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. St. Helena is considered prime wine producing territory, and it was one of the first important wine producing regions in northern California. The legendary Charles Krug founded his winery just north of the town of St. Helena in 1873, and today the appellation is home to many prestigious producers, including Abreu, Grace Family and Spottswoode.

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.