Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley lies at the southern end of Napa Valley and dates back to 1851.
The close proximity of the San Pablo Bay moderates temperatures during the growing season, extending how long the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes have to ripen. This allows the grapes to maintain freshness, structure, aromatics, and balance.
Napa Valley is a world-class wine region that was America’s first AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1981. It is tiny, only 30 miles long and between 1 - 5 miles wide. The southern tip starts at the San Pablo Bay and the northern tip ends at Mount St. Helena, an inactive volcano. The long, narrow valley is framed on both sides by mountain ranges: the Vaca Mountains on the east and the Mayacamas on the west.
Napa Valley has a mediterranean climate with an incredible “diurnal” range. Essentially, the warm California sun heats up the valley all day and then the temperature can plummet as much as 30 or 40 degrees at night. This results in grapes that are ripe but balanced with excellent acidity.
We chose a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley in our inaugural wine release to show the world that Voon Wines will always be world-class wines.
the vineyard
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes used to make this wine were grown in the western bench of the Oak Knoll District at Moulds Family Vineyard, on Dry Creek Road just west of Highway 29.
With only 11 acres of grapes planted, Moulds’ Family Vineyard emphasizes sustainability in all of their growing practices, focusing on both agriculture and the actual workers who tend to the land, and was awarded as Napa Valley’s Grape Grower of the Year in 2018.
Moulds vineyard uses full-cycle farming practices, including grazing chickens through the vineyard, building homes for predatory birds to keep rodents in check, etc.. They meticulously manage their canopy to optimize how their grapes grow, counting the individual leaves on every vertical shoot of a vine (12 to 16 is ideal). The results are stunningly balanced, complex wines.
The Winemaking
At VOON, we believe that the varietal (in this case Cabernet Sauvignon) and the terroir should be the star. But, we also like our Cabernet Sauvignon’s with a little bit of spice.
We de-stemmed the grapes before fermenting dry, and then aged the wine in 50% new French Oak and 50% neutral French Oak for 24 months before bottling. And then, we bottle-aged the wine for another 24 months to let the tannins integrate.
At the end, we blended a little Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot to round out this beautiful, silky expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Please serve VOON’s Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA Cabernet Sauvignon chilled slightly (58° F, or “cellar temperature”) in a stemmed wine glass with a large bowl for the optimal nose, taste, and overall enjoyment.
A 60 minute decant will bring out the optimal aromas and flavors.
