Snowden
Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers Vineyard – 2021
Region: CALIFORNIA - NAPA VALLEY
Snowden
Since 1955, the Snowdens have farmed their vineyard high above the Napa Valley. In addition to the stunning views of St. Helena, Rutherford and the San Francisco Bay, the estate offers four separate sites producing remarkably complex and individualistic wines. Winemaking duties are in the capable hands of Diana Snowden Seysses. The winery produces Bordeaux blends from their estate vineyards and a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc from a small parcel they call the Lost Vineyard.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Cabernet Sauvignon 2 acre Block C from the highest elevation on the Eastern slope at the top of knoll called “Palomino Hill,” on Napa Valley Eastern ridge between Rutherford and St. Helena. Petit Verdot block from 0.84 acre immediately adjacent to Brothers Vineyard at 800 feet.
- Altitude: 800 – 850 feet
- Soils: Ryolite (volcanic sands)
- Vines Planted: Cabernet – 2011; Petit Verdot – 1962, 1981, 2009
- CS Clone Selections: 337, 191, 169
Harvest Notes
- Growing season began with very little water in soils
- Mild, clear Spring led to good flowering
- Very short shoot growth in late Spring – very little canopy managment needed
- No heat spikes or drying offshort winds during the season
- Moderate, even temperatures through early FallDrought
- Conditions created light clusters and tiny berries – yields 30 – 60% below average
- Cabernet hand harvested September 12, 2021
- Petit Verdot hand harvested September 30, 2021
- Fermented usingonly indigenous yeasts
- Aged 19 months in French oak barrels, 50% new
- Bottled May 5, 2023
Winemaker's Notes
With tiny berries and clusters, the 2021 Brothers is a dense, concentrated expression of this classic, two acre, Cabernet Sauvignon site. The bouquet greets you with brooding aromas of tobacco, violets and dried plums. The wine has energy and cut. Plums, black cherries, blood orange and graphite unfold on the palate and persist in chiselled precision. The structure of the Brothers Vineyard is always organized along a linear track. The 2021 is just so, but made more energetic with a citrus rind top note. If you choose to enjoy the wine immediately, please decant ahead of your meal. If you prefer to cellar your wines, the 2021 Brothers has decades of life ahead of it.
Wine Summary
99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot; alcohol: 15%; Cabernet vines planted 2011 in a 2 acre vineyard block on “Palomino Hill,” on Eastern ridge between Rutherford and St. Helena, Petit Verdot from 0.84 acre immediately adjacent to Brothers Vineyard at 800 feet; grapes organically grown; 800 – 850 feet altitude; grown in Ryolite soils; hand harvested; fermented with indigeous yeasts; malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, 50% new; aged 19 months; bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Technical Information
- 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot
- Alcohol: 15%
- Grapes organically grown
General Info
| Country | USA |
| Region | Napa Valley |
| Appellation(s) | Napa Valley |
| Proprietors | Scott and Joann Snowden and Randy and Janet Snowden, managing directors of Snowden Vineyards |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Winemaker | Diana Snowden-Seysses |
| Annual Production | 2,900 9L cases |
| Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) | Sustainable (including no chemical herbicides used in vineyards) |
