Oakville Ranch Vineyard Napa Cabernet

Oakville Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Following the tasting of a non-estate Oakville Ranch Vineyard sourced Napa Cabernet the other day, by Sojourn Cellars, I pulled this label from our cellar to compare, on the chance the fruit is sourced from the same vineyard site. I drank this with my left-over filet of beef from our dine-site dinner at Carnivore and the Queen the other evening. It was there we drank the Sojourn Cabernet which I wrote about in an earlier blogpost regarding that evening. 

About the Oakville Ranch Vineyard source for that release, Sojourn writes, that blend of 2018 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is predominantly Oakville Ranch Vineyard fruit from the site located 1,000 to 1,400 elevation above Oakville, facing west over Napa Valley. The site is surrounded by a “who’s who” of neighbors, producers of premium labels, including Dalla Valle, Joseph Phelps’ Bacchus Vineyard, Pedregal, and Maybach. In that post I wrote

Oakville Ranch Vineyards write about this site, Oakville Ranch is the original mountain vineyard of the Oakville sub-appellation, a tiny district that produces some of Napa Valley’s most celebrated Cabernets. At 1,000 feet above the valley floor, Oakville Ranch produces fruit that speaks from the appellation's signature red volcanic soil with a mountain accent. 

I've written previously in these pages, "The Oakville Ranch property was purchased in 1989 by Bob and Mary Miner. Bob was a co-founder and early key developer of Oracle corporation and the database management system. His wife Mary founded Oakville Ranch Vineyards and managed it following Bob's death at age 52 in 1994.

Bob Miner's nephew, Dave Miner took the helm as President of Oakville Ranch Vineyards in 1993. In 1996, Dave decided to become a custom crush client and start his own wine label and the now popular Miner Family Winery brand was born.

The 350-acre Oakville Ranch was planted in 55 acres of vineyards of Chardonnay and Bordeaux varietals. In the two decades since Bob and Mary Miner purchased the 330-acre ranch, plantings have slowly increased from the original 55 acres to approximately 68 acres of primarily Bordeaux varietals. Today there are 75 acres planted to vineyards at Oakville Ranch, occupying less than a quarter of the mountainside estate. Oakville Ranch produce five wines for a total of 750 cases, which leaves a lot of fruit available for other producer and labels.

We hold several vintages of this label dating back to those earliest releases, which I have written about in earlier blogposts in these pages. I write about the Oakville Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 in this blogpost - April 4, 2021.

Tonight the tasting profile of this wine was remarkably similar to that of the Sojourn, consistent with an earlier tasting of this wine back in January of this year. "At fifteen years of age, (the fill level, label, foil and most importantly, the cork, were all in perfect condition), this is still showing and drinking consistent with earlier tasting notes, this wine is medium to full bodied, dark ruby in color. Aromas of floral, red raspberry and cherry fruits give way to soft oak. Dense full flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry fruits are accented by a layer of pipe tobacco, tones of spice, cassis and soft sweet oak and a hint of black pepper on a long lingering silky tannin finish." 

RM 90 points.

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