Vineyard: The name To Kalon is whispered in hushed tones among lovers of Cabernet Sauvignon everywhere. There is something magical about the terroir at this valley floor site in Oakville that has produced world-class wines for generations of Napa Valley vintners. To Kalon sits on an alluvial fan deposited by ancient streams that flowed down from the Mayacamas mountains, establishing deep, gravelly, well-draining soils.

Vintage: On the heels of a stressful 2017, growers and winemakers were thankful for a return to an uneventful but fruitful vintage in 2018. A cool spring started off the ideal growing season with a near-perfect fruit set in the spring, and summer temperatures were moderate with fewer heat spikes than the previous years. As a result, harvest started two to three weeks later than during the recent extended drought, but along a more historically typical timeline. The long hang times and even ripening yielded wines that show concentrated flavor and structure without being over-ripe - an ideal California Cabernet vintage.

Winemaking: The grapes were destemmed into one open-top tank for a brief cold soak before fermentation began spontaneously with wild yeast. Fermentation continued without the addition of any chemicals or enzymes, aided only by the heat of the sun and daily punch-downs. After pressing the wine went into 100% new French oak barrels from Darnajou, Taransaud and Ermitage, where it aged for 24 months.

Food Pairings: No need to get crazy – seek to enhance the fruit and complement the earthy flavors of this wine with wood-fired lamb or grass-fed beef.