2005 Grace Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Like other family-founded wineries in Napa Valley, Grace Family Vineyards started small, more a dream than a business. It was 1976 and San Francisco stockbroker Richard Grace and his wife bought an old home in St. Helena to raise their family in the country. The couple planted a one-acre vineyard and two years later harvested their first real crop, which they sold to Caymus Vineyard. The Grace family’s grapes were used by Caymus until 1983, when the Grace Family started making their own wine. These days the Graces cultivate a number of vineyards, though production remains highly limited. Only Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are grown, and Grace Family wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are prized for their opulence and rich flavors. They are generally available only through a mailing list. Annual production is 200 cases.

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.