Nestled in the foothills of the Palisades
mountain range in the far north-eastern corner of the Napa Valley just outside
Calistoga sits a true treasure of a property. Amici Cellars was started
after winemaker at the time, Jeff Hansen and friends crushed a few tons of
grapes in 1991 for their own personal use. The name Amici means "friends" in
Italian and is a tribute to the friends who started this winery as well as to
their Italian heritage. Coming up with a slogan to honor this, their wine is
"created by friends for friends". Today the owners of Amici Cellars are
John Harris and Bob and Celia Shepard, all bringing decades of relationships
with outstanding growers in the Napa Valley, resulting in elegant, balanced,
expressive wines made to be enjoyed among friends.
2015 was Tony Biagi's first vintage of making
wines at Amici Cellars. Widely recognized for creating elegantly
balanced, terroir-driven wines, Tony has helped shape a number of notable Napa
Valley wineries including CADE, Clos Du Val, Hourglass, Paraduxx, PlumpJack,
and Sinegal Estate, along with his own project of Patria.
Originally planted in 1868 by Hamilton Crabb,
the To Kalon vineyard has produced some of the Napa Valley's best Cabernet
Sauvignon ever since, gaining legendary status as one of America's first-growth
vineyards. To Kalon, ancient Greek for "the highest beauty," sits on prime
Oakville bench land where well-drained, gravelly soils combine with optimal sun
exposure to yield rich, complex flavors and impeccable fruit maturity.
81% Cabernet Sauvignon. 19% Cabernet Franc aged
in 100% new French oak barrels for 22 months, this 2017 lives up to
the storied reputation of To Kalon as one of the finest vineyards in the
country.
A beautiful iteration from this legendary
Oakville vineyard, the 2017 To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is exotic and racy,
with complex spice notes on the nose along with violets, lavender and hints of
tapenade. The palate is full and layered yet delicate, with flavors of
blackberry pie, licorice, cherry preserve, cassis and wet clay minerality,
Plush tannins carry through the long captivating finish.
