Product Detail
2022 Spitfire Cabernet Preview
2022 Spitfire Cabernet Preview
Description
Harvest Notes2022 was the last year of a three-year draught which was saved by a significant rainfall in April. This rain replenished the soil before a long summer allowing the vines to fully develop their canopy in the Spring, followed by a lengthy Summer of fruit development. Crop level, which is largely determined in the previous year, was still very lite. It was a relatively long, cool summer punctuated by a heat spike a couple weeks before harvest which ushered in the ripe fruit. The harvest was lengthy, adding to the complexity of the lots that created this wine.
Tasting Notes
The first aromas immediately remind us that this wine is once again a Cabernet blend and not 100% varietal. The classic Cabernet notes of cassis, blackberry, and plum are there but once again green pepper and the floral tones of the Cabernet Franc are in the mix. Add depth, it exhibits deep notes of black cherry, sage and lavender that are characteristic of the Petit Verdot’s influence. Two years in American oak have fostered a complex spice box of flavors, showing cardamom and cinnamon layered in a framework of integrated oak tannins. This vineyard site continually produces wines of great polish and drinkability, making them a joy to open while still young. This wine wants a steak with a nice chimichurri, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, a massaman curry.
Winemaking Notes
The Cabernet fruit was hand-picked into macro bins, then sorted, de-stemmed and crushed into stainless steel tanks. Cold soaking was carried out over 24 hours, and the must was inoculated and pumped over one to three times per day, then pressed before finishing primary fermentation. Once dry, the wine was racked to barrel and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. It was racked again at the conclusion of secondary fermentation and twice more before bottling. Though it was filtered, owing to its time in barrel, fining was not necessary.
Spitfire 2022 Facts:
Harvest Date: September 16th - October 20th
Varietals: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Barrel Age: 22 months; 60% new American Oak, 40% neutral oak
Appellation: Oakville, Napa Valley
Bottled: July 24th, 2025
Bottle Size: 750ml
Production: 607 cases
Alcohol: 13.7%
Total Acidity: 5.1g/L
pH: 3.72