Who loves wine? I do!
Black Stallion Estate Winery winemaker Ralf Holdenried holds a deep-seated appreciation for prime locations and careful picking. For Ralf, winemaking starts in the vineyard. Ralf hand-selects fruit from some of the finest vineyards in Napa Valley’s 16 individual AVAs to craft Black Stallion’s style. Today we are pleased to showcase two very different wines as a representation of Black Stallion’s unique blending techniques and dedication to site-specific vineyard winemaking.
Ralf achieved the perfect balance in the 2018 Napa Valley Chardonnay (SRP $22). This Chardonnay combines bright acidity and citrus with a fuller-bodied character. The fruit was sourced from five unique Napa Valley AVAs, including the cool Los Carneros, moderate Oak Knoll District, Oakville and Atlas Peak, and the warmer Rutherford. Each vineyard was handpicked for taste, in the cool mornings. The juice was fermented in barrels and generally left on the primary lees for six months with the barrels being stirred twice a month to increase the creamy texture of the wine. The result is a Chardonnay with a delicate balance of fruit and oak.
A second wine, the 2017 Gaspare Estate Vineyard Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $75), expresses another side of Ralf’s experience and the benefits of site-specific winemaking. This single-vineyard 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon sourced solely from the Black Stallion estate in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. The site is named after Gaspare Indelicato, the Indelicato family patriarch, who planted the family’s first single vineyard in 1924. With the temperature in the Oak Knoll District being slightly cooler than other Napa Valley AVAs, Ralf was able to create a wine with excellent balance and vibrant acidity.
2017 Gaspare Estate Vineyard Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon2018 Napa Valley Chardonnaynapa winepuzzleRalf Holdenried
what do you think?