Located along the foothills of the esteemed Howell Mountain
in the Napa Valley, Dancing Hares is a producer known for its two Cabernet
Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux style blends from its five-acre vineyard site.
Dancing Hares was founded in 1997 by Bob Cook and Paula Brooks with the help of
Michel Rolland as a consultant winemaker, and in 2016 Tuck and Boo Beckstoffer
acquired the brand and winery, adding to their collection of Napa Valley
projects.
Divided into two separate plots, the upper portion of the
vineyard is recognized for its volcanic soils planted tot Cabernet Sauvignon
and Petit Verdot while the lower vineyard parcels have clay-loam soils made for
Merlot and Cabernet Franc. They
typically only produce less than 800 cases of their Bordeaux blend annually,
and much of their wine is carried at local restaurants with very little distribution
outside of Northern California.
"Blended of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.5% Petit Verdot, and
0.5% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Dancing Hares Proprietary Red
is boldly scented of crème de cassis, mocha, plum preserves and dried lavender
with touches of black olives, spice box, Sichuan pepper and cigar box.
Full-bodied with bags of black fruits and exotic spices on offer in the mouth,
it has a firm yet velvety frame and just enough freshness, finishing very
long." ~Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
