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Thanksgiving with Cultivar Rosé, Pinots, and Port
Cultivar makes your moments become memories! We recommend these wines for your late fall celebrations.
To start your meal we will be serving our 2021 Cultivar Rosé, a great wine for any celebration and to toast your friends and family while nibbling on cheese and charcuterie platters. Julien Fayard has brought a Provencal flair to this incredible blend and it was named “50 Best”.
From there we move to our 2021 Cultivar Russian River Pinot Noir. Our tasting of this wine made it clear that it is a very versatile wine. The ruby color brings to mind fresh raspberries and Gala apple peel. On the nose: delicate aromas of blackberry, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, mint, and cracked pepper. Your palate is rewarded with strawberry, cranberry, and bright red fruits, but with a light & fruity body. The finish is dry and delicate, featuring medium acid and just a hint of tannins. Serve this pinot with your stuffed turkey, mushroom and rice dish.
Looking for something a little different? Try our 2019 Cultivar Napa Valley Syrah, a gorgeous and opulent Napa Valley Syrah. Dark, bold, and brilliant describes both the color and the nose, as pepper, allspice, and smoked meats explode from this dark purple wine. Waves of black currant, juicy blueberry, and boysenberry greet the palate, capped by a lingering finish of cherry, smoke, graphite, and anise. Pair it with curry dishes, Kung Pao chicken, pork belly bao, mushroom risotto, and duck.
Then for dessert we love the 2014 Cultivar Port! Created in the Tawny Port style, this decadent dessert wine greets the nose with layers of caramel, dulce de leche, and orange peel. Warm waves of spun sugar, maple, and dark chocolate roll across the palate, ending with a creamy, mocha finish that seems to linger forever.
If you need Cultivar Wines and are in the Bay Area you can stop in and purchase at 2379 Chestnut Street at Cultivar San Francisco.
We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Fall Favorites at Cultivar
Root Vegetables
taro root, sweet potato, russet potato, carrots, beets
Pair it with 2019 Cultivar Syrah, Napa Valley
Squash and Burrata
Pomegranate, pepitas, micro arugula, balsamic reduction, lava salt
Pair it with 2019 Cultivar Cabernet Franc, Oak Knoll
We look forward to seeing you at Cultivar San Francisco to taste Chef David’s seasonal dishes paired with Caspar Estate and Cultivar Wines. Located in the Marina District of San Francisco, near the Presidio and the Palace of Fine Arts and minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge.
2379 Chestnut Street
Harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon At Cultivar’s Leaky Lake Vineyard
Napa Valley Night Harvest of Cabernet Grapes
Harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon from our Leaky Lake Vineyard began late night on September 8th. Located about a quarter mile up the road from Caspar Estate, the Leaky Lake Vineyard is where Cultivar grows our limited production, vineyard-designate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Leaky Lake Vineyard Stats:
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Clone(s): 191/337
Planted: 2007
Size: 3.5 acres
Rootstock: 101-14
Exposure: West and North
Elevation: 1000 feet
AVA: Napa Valley
Soil Type / Deposit: Clay Loam / Iron
Gathering The Crew For Harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 harvest in Napa Valley was a busy one. Early September brought some rapid changes in temperature, which made the fruit reach its peak much sooner than expected. Within a five-day period, our crew had picked our all our Caspar Estate fruit, along with the Cabernet Sauvignon at Leaky Lake Vineyard!
With their grape hooks sharpened and their headlamps on, the crew was ready for harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon by the light of the moon.
Why Harvest At Night?
Harvesting at night is a time-honored practice in the Napa Valley. In fact, most wine regions around the world typically harvest during the late night or early-morning hours.
Picking at night helps ensure that all the grapes are at the same temperature. This means there’s a higher degree of control at the start of the fermentation process and less oxidation of the grapes. This results in better wine, lower energy costs, and greater efficiency.
In particularly hot climates—which can include the Napa Valley—picking at night also means cooler conditions for the farmworkers.
Leaky Lake: Cultivar’s Vineyard-Designate Cabernet Sauvignon
If you couldn’t tell already, we love the Leaky Lake Vineyard. Its unique hillside location, clay loam soil, and position above the fog line make it one of those uniquely Napa Valley properties.
The wine we produce from this vineyard has a signature power, elegance, and intensity, thanks in no small part to our winemaker, Julien Fayard. Julien loves to work with terroir-driven wines, and each subsequent vintage of Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon is a true reflection of the growing season.
We typically make less than 75 cases each year of Cultivar’s Leaky Lake Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of that goes first to The Cultivar Wine Club, with limited quantities then made available in our online store.
Napa Harvest 2022: Sauvignon Blanc Is Picked At Caspar Estate
On Tuesday morning, August 23rd at 7am, the crew gathered at the bottom of the House Block at Caspar Estate to pick the Sauvignon Blanc. Caspar Estate is located in the hills above Rutherford in Napa Valley, just off Whitehall Lane. Because of the hillside location, the day stated off with a light misting of fog in the vines and a cool temperature of 58 degrees.
The mist lifted gradually until we could eventually see all the way down the row. The clusters looked ready, and tasted even better! Julien Fayard, our winemaker, determined that the grapes were at the perfect brix, and the picking began.
Napa Harvest 2022 Brings The Promise Of Another Amazing Vintage
Each harvest is unique, and Napa Harvest 2022 was no exception. In June, we had Julien come down to our farm-to-table restaurant, Cultivar SF, for the 2021 Caspar Estate Sauvignon Blanc party. Julian raved about the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, and especially the unique, velvety mouthfeel he creates through fermentation on the lees.
“With this next vintage, I plan to leave the fruit hanging on the vine even longer,” he said. “This will give the flavor profile even more depth.”
Strangely enough, we ended up picking on the exact same day we picked back in 2021! The main difference, however, was that temperatures were slightly warmer during the 2022 growing season. So, as it turned out, Julien got exactly what he wanted.
With Mother Nature’s help—and Julien’s experienced hand—the 2022 vintage is sure to be a stellar one!
The 2022 Caspar Estate Sauvignon Blanc will be available in Spring of 2023. All Caspar Estate wines are available by allocation only. Click here to learn more about how you can get your hands on this remarkable vintage!
Want to see more photos of Napa Harvest 2022? Check out our harvest pictures on Instagram. Inquire about Caspar Allocation.
