This wine was made from grapes harvested in special parcels within the Oak Knoll and Yountville sub-AVAs of Napa Valley.
The palate is velvety with aromas of fresh blackberry and bright cherry, as well as concentrated flavors of wild strawberry compote and allspice.
It also has a juicy, firm and chewy tannin structure.
Though Napa Valley is only 30 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point, its diverse soils, climates and topography produce complex layers and evocative flavors.
The cool ocean breezes off San Pablo Bay create natural acidity in the fruit, allowing the cherry and bright red fruit characters to really "pop."
The gravelly alluvial soils allow the vines to develop deep roots, producing rich, complex wine characteristics.
This AVA offers flavors of red fruits such as raspberry and ripe, juicy cherries, along with rich tannins.
TEXTBOOK was founded in 2004 by longtime wine industry veterans Jonathan and Susan Pei and produces beautiful wines from the enviable vineyards of Napa Valley and Oakville.
Jonathan speaks French and lived in Europe for several years as a child, which is where his wine career began.
He gained winemaking experience working for Louis Jadot in France, and Penfolds and Robert Mondavi in Australia.
This background has led to TEXTBOOK's ``powerful yet balanced'' winemaking style, whose reputation is growing year by year.
The name of the wine, TEXTBOOK, does not refer to a school "textbook"; when Susan tasted the first wine they had made, she said, "This wine is a typical, exemplary Napa wine TEXTBOOK.
This comes from the fact that he once let slip, "
(Jonathan often uses the analogy "this textbook": "Ferrari is the textbook on Italian cars."
(Apparently, this is a textbook for saying "preparation") The flagship's Mison Plus is a culinary term meaning "preparation" in French, and it emphasizes that when making wine or cooking, it is most important to prepare high-quality ingredients (grapes), and that the tools you use are well-maintained and lined up in order, so that you are fully prepared before making your wine.
The name comes from this idea.
The Mizon Plus Cabernet comes from the Boulder Block Vineyard/Vyborny Vineyard adjacent to Screaming Eagle, and the Merlot (Holmes Vineyard) is located below the slopes of Harlan, next to To Kalon.
(Holmes Vineyard's Cabernet is used by Nickel and Nickel under the name Branding Iron Vineyard.
) TEXTBOOK does not own its own tasting room or winery facilities.
"It costs so much money to have a facility in Napa.
If I'm going to put that much money into it, I'd rather spend it on better barrels and winemaking equipment.
" says Jonathan.
This winery is said by Robert Parker to be "a true wine that consumers should pay attention to; there are real treasures in this lineup."