Cellar 254

2018 Cellar No. 254 Petite Sirah

Thomann Station Vineyard benefits from the warmth of the St. Helena sun, yielding ripe, round flavors. Ideal for growing Petite Sirah, the grapes thrive in the deep, gravelly loam soils of the Napa Valley floor. The 2018 growing season began with plentiful winter rains that gave to a consistently warm and steady that eased into a mild fall, resulting in a slightly later harvest that delivered beautifully developed fruit with marked complexity. Because this fruit is literally in our backyard, it was delivered by tractor and immediately hand-sorted and destemmed. A three-day cold soak allowed for gentle extraction of flavor and color. We then used a careful combination of punch-downs and rack-and-returns during fermentation, which helped to tame the varietal’s burly tannins and build a balanced, beautifully finessed Petite Sirah. Total aging was 15 months in a combination of French and American oak, the latter imparting a sweet bacon spice note to this remarkably rich wine (74% new oak, 48% French, 26% American).

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2018 Cellar No. 254 Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

In the spirit of Cellar No. 254, to celebrate the outstanding 2018 vintage and to honor Louis M. Martini’s affinity for mountain fruit, we have created our first ever blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from some of our most coveted mountain sites. Featuring a trio of vineyards that we highlight individually as part of our Crown Cabernet Collection, we are exploring for the first time the idea of blending them together. <br><br> The 2018 vintage began, like 2017, with plentiful winter rains. A consistently warm and steady summer eased into a mild fall, resulting in a slightly later harvest that delivered beautifully developed fruit with marked complexity. <br><br> Our grapes were hand-harvested in early October and sorted at our micro-winery, Cellar No. 254. Fermentation took place in small open-top tanks, allowing for precise and gentle extraction of color and flavor. Each lot was aged in French oak barrels and evaluated individually, with the final blend occurring in June 2018. In total, the wine was aged for 19 months in barrel (56% new) and a year in bottle.

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90

pts

2017 Cellar No. 254 Meritage

The grapes for this wine were selected from some of the most premier Napa Valley vineyards, a mix of valley floor, benchland and hillsides. The 2017 vintage was one of promise and challenge for Napa Valley grape growers, but in the end, fruit was of high quality overall. Plenty of winter rains gave way to healthy vines at the beginning of the growing season. Other than an early September heat spike, the growing season was moderate. Picked just before the October wildfires, fruit yields were average in size with smaller berries possessing big and complex flavors.

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2019 Cellar No. 254 Merlot

Our Napa Valley Merlot pays homage to Louis P. Martini, who bottled the first varietally labeled Merlot in the United States nearly a half-century ago. Enticing aromas of cherry cola, sassafras, cardamom and sandalwood dust the nose while flavors of raspberry compote, strawberry reduction, cigar box and notes of cedar entice the palate. This rich and plush Merlot is marked by fine grained tannins and a seamless finish. Our grapes were hand-harvested starting in late September and finishing in early October and sorted at our micro-winery, Cellar No. 254. Relying on gravity for the most tender handling, fermentation then took place in small open-top tanks, allowing for precise and gentle extraction of color and flavor. The wine aged for a total of 15 months (67% new French oak). Vintage 2019 was warm and evenly paced, exceptional growing conditions that delivered high-quality fruit into the cellar. Plentiful winter rains and a cool spring delayed budbreak, leading to rains in late May. By June, a consistently warm and steady summer emerged, encouraging canopy growth and allowing fruit to ripen slowly. Vines developed clean, healthy clusters with rich, complex flavors and excellent structure. Harvest began later in the year, with cool temperatures preserving excellent acidity.

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92

pts

2017 Cellar No. 254 Petite Sirah

We selected these grapes from our historic Thomann Station Vineyard, nestled just behind our winery in St. Helena. This location is ideal for growing Petite Sirah, thriving in the deep, gravelly loam soils of the Napa Valley floor. The 2017 vintage began with ample winter rains, fueling vine growth early in the season. Steady warmth in the summer and fall followed, leading to a slightly early harvest with ripe, fruit-driven intensity. Because this fruit is literally in our backyard, it was delivered by tractor and immediately hand-sorted and destemmed. A three-day cold soak allowed for gentle extraction of flavor and color. We then used a careful combination of punch-downs and rack-and-returns during fermentation, which helped to tame the varietal’s burly tannins and build a balanced, beautifully finessed Petite Sirah. Total aging was 15 months in a combination of French and American oak, the latter imparting a sweet bacon spice note to this remarkably rich wine (60% new oak, 37% French, 23% American).

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93

pts

2018 Cellar No. 254 Merlot

Our inaugural Cellar No. 254 Merlot is a beautifully structured expression of the variety. Enchanting aromas of fresh blueberries, Bing cherries, and ripe red plum mingle with hints of violet and dried mint leaves as they dust the nose. These notes are echoed on the supple palate where polished tannins and flavors of boysenberry pie and raspberry, as well as subtleties of baking spice, vanilla and freshly shaved chocolate carry through the long, textured finish.

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2018 Cellar No. 254 Cabernet Sauvignon

The grapes for this wine were selected from some of the most premier Napa Valley vineyards, a mix of valley floor, benchland and hillsides. All grapes were hand harvested, delivered in half-ton picking bins, then hand-sorted, destemmed and partially crushed before being gravity-fed into small open-top fermenters. The cap was alternately punched down and pumped over up to four times daily through fermentation. Once fermentation completed, the free run juice was drained and the must gently pressed in a basket press. The wine was gravity racked into French oak barrels (87% new) for malolactic fermentation and remained in individual barrel lots until the final blend was assembled and aged.

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2020 Cellar No. 254 Petite Sirah

Dedicated to our backyard vineyard named for the Southern Pacific Railroad fruit packing stop used by the winery long ago, the Thomann Station Petite Sirah is part of our Cellar No. 254 collection. Opaque in the glass, the 2020 vintage boasts aromas of fresh blackberry with underlying characteristics of geranium and graphite. Layers of dark chocolate covered cherry, acai berry with hints of charcuterie coat the assertive yet silky palate.

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