Description
2021 CABERNET FRANC NAPA VALLEY
HISTORY
In the calm glow of Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain, surrounded by murmuring emerald forests and anchored by the original stone winery building, our winemaking team is inspired to be part of La Jota’s endurance. La Jota Vineyard Co. was founded in 1898 by newspaperman Frederick Hess, a Swiss immigrant.
He purchased 327 acres of a Mexican land grant and planted vineyards on a remote plateau. The rocky soils, high-elevation sun exposure, and abundant wind and fog had led Hess and other pioneers to believe the location could produce wines as distinctive as those in Europe. La Jota was one mile away from a vineyard planted ten years earlier by geologist Winfield S. Keyes. Both men achieved recognition for their wines at the 1900 Paris Exposition, bringing instant fame to Howell Mountain. Today, some 125 years later, we continue the legacy of crafting small-production wines that reveal intense fruit and indelible mineral complexity.
V I N E Y A R D SA N DO R G A N I CF A R M I N G
The La Jota Vineyard lies high upon a volcanic plateau, looking east over Napa Valley. Surrounded by pine, fir, oak and madrone trees, the estate stands out because of its cool, windswept climate and lean, volcanic soils. We began farming our estate vineyards organically in 2018, reached certification in 2023, and are now approaching regenerative accreditation. Cabernet Franc grapes for this wine come from an exceptional block of our estate vineyard, right next to our century-old stone winery on Howell Mountain. We also source grapes for this wine from portions of the W.S. Keyes Vineyard, a mile down the road, where more hours of sunshine benefit this Cabernet Franc.
W I N E M A K I N G
We hand-harvested grapes into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing, and then we brought them to the winery for hand-sorting. After destemming and light crushing, the must was cold-soaked for gentle color, flavor and tannin extraction. Winemaker Chris Carpenter fermented the juice with native yeast in a combination of open- and closed-top stainless steel tanks. Following gentle basket press, the wine underwent in-barrel malolactic fermentation, rounding the acidity and integrating the vanilla character of French oak (72% new). The wine was barrel-aged for 22 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
W I N E M A K E R ‘ SC O M M E N T S
The 2021 season began with very little rain, and spring and summer were mild. Interestingly, because the heavy wildfire smoke during 2020 decreased the vineyards’ exposure to sunlight, the vines were set up to give us lower yields in the new season. So for 2021 there is less wine but just phenomenal character. This seductive Cabernet Franc leans into dark cherry, espresso bean, forest floor aromatics, and a flicker of orange peel. Firm tannins and smashed rock minerality are carried by the silky mouthfeel.
T E C H N I C A L N O T E S
B L E N DC O M P O S I T I O N
100% Cabernet Franc
H A RV E S TD A T E S
September 15 to 20
F E R M E N T A T I O N
Native yeast fermentation
M A C E R AT I O N
20 Days
B A R R E LA G I N G
22 months in French oak (72% new)
A L C O H O LB YV O L U M E
14.5%
W I N EP H
3.55
W I N EA C I D I T Y
.62g/100ml
V I N E Y A R D S
La Jota Vineyard
W.S. Keyes Vineyard
A C C L A I M
96+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2023
“Darker red, blue, and black fruits, sappy spring flowers, graphite, and chalky minerality all define the 2021 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain, a medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure, fine, graceful Cabernet Franc with tons to love.”
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