Kuleto 2006 Estate CS, SBarrel #2

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Single Barrel #2
Napa Valley
Intense Wines From The Wilds Of Eastern Napa
In 1992, vintner and restaurateur Pat Kuleto founded Kuleto Estate in a remote mountain setting overlooking Lake
Hennessey, Pritchard Hill and the towns of Rutherford and St. Helena. The 761-acre ranch features 90 acres of
vineyards divided into over 100 micro-blocks based upon soil, exposure, elevation and topography. The wines from
Kuleto Estate are always deep, intense and luscious.
Winemaker’s Notes
The Single Barrel bottling concept arose out of a desire to highlight the interactions between barrel and wine and
to pay tribute the craft of the cooper, or barrel maker. These interactions are often surprising and quite unexpected.
We taste every barrel in our cellar multiple times throughout the aging process and take thorough notes on flavors
and textures. This allows us to craft blends with very particular attributes in mind. During this process, we often
encounter barrels that stand out among the rest. They can be new barrels or old but what they have in common is
that they all hit a particular sweet spot in the mouth that leaves you speechless. When we find such a barrel, we write
the letters “SB” on the ends. By the end of a two year aging period, we may have 20 or so of these “SB” barrels set
aside. From these we select only six that most dramatically highlight the cooper’s skills and place them in a deliberate order that assumes that all six will be enjoyed over the course of a single evening.
The 2006 Single Barrel #2 was found to be a new St. Martin French oak barrel. St. Martin barrels are our go-to
barrel in the cellar. Never overwhelming, always respectful of the fruit, these barrels provide great structure to a
wine even after several years of use. We chose this barrel because of the way the fruit and wood were of equal intensity. It was given the #2 designation for a reason: If one was to drink all 6 Single Barrel Cabernets in one evening,
this is the barrel that you would pair with the first of three main courses. It is powerful, yes, but very complex and
not so overwhelmingly ripe in character as to overpower a more delicate meat or poultry dish. Like all of our 2006s,
it has a focused acidity that gives it freshness in the mouth despite its six plus years of age. Aromas of bay leaves,
allspice, dried thyme and cassis (black currant syrup) lead into surprising flavors of fresh currant, cloves, allspice,
vanilla bean, and dried aromatic herbs.
Technical Data
Varietal Composition
Vineyard
Kuleto Estate, Blocks 6, 11A, & 27
|
Alcohol
14.8%
New St. Martin French oak
Total Production
293 bottles (750 ml)
www.kuletoestate.com
#5115078
Aging
100% Cabernet Sauvignon