Ladera Vineyards is the home of estate grown and produced Cabernet Sauvignon focused primarily on our two designated wines, the Lone Canyon Vineyard Cabernet and the Howell Mountain Appellation Cabernet. Behind our fine wines is our historic 1886 restored and renovated stone winery and underground barrel caves.

2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml
Blend
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Howell Mountain

Vineyard
The Howell Mountain Vineyard is located at an elevation of 1,600 to 1,800 feet, with gently rolling terrain. The soils are iron-rich, red, clay loam with an abundance of gravel which allows for excellent drainage. The climate at this vineyard is very unique. Because of the high elevation, the vineyard sits above the fog line and so receives sun for a longer duration during the day. Furthermore, the temperatures are cooler in the day and warmer at night than the valley floor. This longer sun exposure and warmer nights allow the Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen evenly and to full maturity every year.

Winemaking and Tasting Notes
The 2005 growing season started with rains in the spring and early summer, jump-starting vine growth. The growing season was also long and cool which was perfect for developing grapes with good maturity and flavors with sugar levels coming in somewhat lower than past vintages. Cooler weather, large crop sizes and lateness of the harvest had everyone anxious about getting the crop into the winery before the winter rains. Fortunately, a few late season rains didn’t affect the tough skinned Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, the long, slow ripening allowed the grapes to reach their full expression in the glass.

Fruit from this blend arrived at the winery on dates ranging from October 4 – to November 3, 2005. The wine was aged for 21 months in 50% new French oak barrels with the remainder one, two and three year old French barrels. Fermentation lengths on average were 13 days with native yeasts contributing to approximately 65% of the fermentations. The wines were pressed at dryness with no extended fermentations. The wine is unfiltered and unfined. The blend is comprised of lots from 17 different vineyard blocks of which most were planted in 1997 and the remainder planted in 2001. The wine was bottled on August 6, 2007.

The 2005 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is abundant in fragrant aromas of blackberry, vanilla, lilac and sweet oak. With a graceful and rich entry of dark cherries, blueberry and blackberry on the palate, the taste buds are awoken with hints of cocoa, mint and anise. Firm yet supple tannins carry this concentrated wine through to a well-structured and long finish.

2005 Lone Canyon Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon

Statistics
Blend:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Lone Canyon Vineyard

Vineyard
The 2005 Ladera Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon is truly an expression of the Lone Canyon vineyard itself. The unique terroir of this vineyard allows the fruit to showcase the vintage at hand. The Lone Canyon Vineyard is located on the flank of Mt. Veeder in the southwestern hills of the Napa Valley. The ranch consists of 480 acres of which 75 are planted to vineyards. The topography is very steep in some areas with elevations reaching 1,100 feet above sea level. The elevations, as well as its specific location in Napa Valley, contribute to the cooler climate at Lone Canyon. The clay loam soils are of moderate depth and are very well drained. The average yields for 2005 were 2 tons per acre. For the 2005 vintage, young vines which were planted in 1998 and 1999, make up 62% of the blend. The older vines were planted in the mid 1980’s, on St. George rootstock. For the younger vines, a multitude of various clones are used including: clone 4, 6, 7, 8, 169, 191, 337, 341 and Weimer.

The 2005 growing season started off with unseasonably late spring rains which delayed flowering and posed a threat for mold problems. Fortunately, the season progressed with warm, nearly perfect growing conditions. The summer had few extreme heat spikes. This allowed for even ripening and longer hang time on the vines. The end result of this unique growing season was a late harvest of high quality but also bountiful quantity.

Winemaking and Tasting Notes
Our 2005 Lone Canyon Cabernet’s were cold soaked for upwards of 5 days before the commencement of fermentation. The fermentations primarily used native wine yeasts with a limited use of commercial strains. The average fermentations lasted 13 days with the wine often coming off the skins before completion in many cases, depending on the tannin profiles of the wines at this stage. The skins which were then pressed at several intervals of pressure; determined by taste and tannin intensity. The wine was then barrel aged for 22 months in French oak barrels ( 71% new ). The wine was bottled August 8, 2007.

The 2005 Lone Canyon Cabernet is a perfect example of how rich, bold and extracted the wines from this property can be. This wine shows intense color and the aromas are dominated by figs, dates, and black cherries. The nose is further complimented by spices, black licorice, brown sugar, blueberry and brambly undertones. A full bodied entry hits the palate with enticing flavors of blackberry and cassis. The wine is layered with textures that are bold and masculine yet maintain tannins of a velvety character. The dark and ripe fruit flavors intertwined with the tannins carry through to a long and plush finish.