2005 Sbragia Family Vineyards Wall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Sbragia Family Vineyards is in Geyserville. It was founded in 2001 by Ed Sbragia, a long-time Napa Valley winemaker who made wine for several decades at Beringer. Sbragia, the grandson of immigrants from Tuscany, grew up in Dry Creek Valley where is father grew Zinfandel grapes. Sbragia runs the estate with his wife and children and owns vineyards or sources grapes in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley. Sbragia makes Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

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.