Hall Wines
2015 Eighteen Seventy-Three Cabernet Sauvignon
2015 Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon
2016 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon
Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Hall Wines post on October 29. Today I will discuss 3 of their wonderful Cab’s. Since first working in her family’s Mendocino vineyards, Kathryn Hall dreamed of a place to showcase fine wines alongside expressive art and masterful architecture. The Halls acquired the historic St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened as HALL St. Helena in July of that year. With a rich history spanning 150 years, HALL St. Helena’s location was once the home of the Napa Valley Co-Op, producing 40% of Napa Valley’s wines. In 2013, The Hall family completed the restoration of the 1885 Bergfeld Winery, in addition to a striking Visitor Center and state-of-the-art gravity flow winemaking facility. HALL’s estate vineyards encompass more than 500 acres of classic Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Roughly half of all the grapes HALL uses come from their Estate Vineyards, the other half come from vineyards from around the valley, sourcing from over 70 vineyards. HALL’s estate vineyards stretch from ancient riverbeds on the valley floor to sun-drenched hilltops, encompassing approximately 150 acres of classic Bordeaux varietals.
Hall Wines also have several “Wine Clubs” and additionally offering some “Library & Exclusive Wines” which provide a tremendous insight on how their wines develop year to year. I recommend to check out their availability, click this link “WineClubLink” to go to their site and join a club! If you find your travels to Napa, I recommend a visit to their stunning Napa winery.
Keep checking back with SippingFineWine.com as I recently made a trip to Napa during 2019 harvest, visited several wineries, tasted some great wines, and met some outstanding individuals. I’ll continue to report on my discoveries.
2015 Eighteen Seventy-Three Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon & 1% Petit Verdot, aged 24 Months in 70% New French Oak, grapes sourced from eastern side of Napa, on Vaca Range where Hall has vines. In 1873 Captain William Peterson came to Napa and established a winery on Hall’s property, and this winery and site became important for Napa, producing 40% of its entire vintage from that 1 site. Deep Ruby, medium+ aroma intensity of dark berry fruits and aromatic spice. On the palate flavors of ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit, black pepper and cinnamon spice. Chewy structured firm tannins, good integration with lively acidity, great mouthfeel, long finish ending with fruit, spice and bits of minerality. Tasting Sample!
2015 Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon & 2% Cabernet Franc, aged 22 Months in 75% New French Oak, grapes dominated by concentrated mountain fruit (Atlas Peak) but sourced from all over Napa. Deep Ruby, medium+ aroma intensity of berry fruits, sweet and pungent spice. On the palate flavors of strawberry, currants and black plum fruit, black pepper, cacao and vanilla spice with slight citrus notes. Chewy structured firm tannins, good integration with lively acidity, great mouthfeel, a big wine with a long finish ending with fruit and fragrant spice. Tasting Sample!
2016 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon & 1% Cabernet Franc, aged 26 Months in 75% New French Oak, grapes from their home St. Helena Estate. Deep Ruby, medium+ aroma intensity of red berry fruit, sweet spice and just starting to develop some secondary aromas of herb and leather. On the palate flavors of raspberry, cranberry and cherry fruit, herb pepper, cacao, cedar and vanilla spice with slight creamy texture. Fine structured soft tannins, nicely integrated with acidity, great mouthfeel, a big wine with a long finish ending with fruit and oaky notes. Tasting Sample.
Cheers!