2003 Cain Syrah

Cain Vineyard & Winery is in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley. It was founded in 1980 when Jerry and Joyce Cain purchased 550 acres, which was part of the historic McCormick Ranch on Spring Mountain. Their first vintage was 1985, and in 1986 Jim and Nancy Meadlock became partners. The Cains retired in 1991 and the Meadlocks are now full owners. The vineyard is relatively high at altitudes ranging from 1,400 to 2,100 feet along the crest of the Mayacamas Range. Cain makes red wines, and the flagship wine is Cain Five, an estate wine which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Cain Cuvee is a Merlot-based blend. Cain Concept is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.

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,

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.