2023 Burgess Cellars, Contadino Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

THE STORY The women of the Rossini and Poncetta families were true pioneers of Howell Mountain in the 1870s and 1880s, toiling to plant and train vineyards and harvest steep hillsides, just as their forebears did in the Swiss and Italian countryside. Their lives were not easy, and they laid the foundation for so much of what we do. At Burgess, we honor them by naming a Cabernet Sauvignon for them: “Contadina” is the Italian word for female farmer. VINEYARD SOURCE We assemble Contadina Cabernet Sauvignon primarily from select blocks in our Quartz Creek Vineyard, in Oak Knoll AVA, as well as our St. Andrews Vineyard, also in Oak Knoll AVA. These vineyards are certified CCOF Organic. HARVEST NOTES It has always been our goal at Burgess to capture freshness and grace in our wines. Our sites are naturally low yielding, and we work hard in the vineyard to preserve the site and varietal character and encourage early maturity. And in 2023, a long, relatively cool vintage, we were able to wait and capture the perfect moment of ripeness. Rarely do Brix, acidity, and phenolic ripeness align so beautifully as they did in 2023. TASTING NOTES The 2023 Contadina is a balanced yet lively Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of ripe blackcurrant and lush red cherry fruit, accentuated with herbal aromatics of sage, mint, and sweet tobacco, and a long, complex finish with rounded tannins. The provenance of these vineyards and the rigorous organic farming standards applied to them makes this a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a very generous quality- to-price rapport. TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc Aged 24 months in 30% new French oak barrique, 70% neutral French oak barrique and tank AVA: Napa Valley Alcohol: 14%