2016 EMH Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat Napa (750ml)
EMH Vineyards began in 1999 when Merrill Lindquist bought a pocket-sized parcel of less than an acre just east of the Silverado Trail in Calistoga. The name stands for the initials of Merrill, her daughter Emily, and her ex-husband Hugh, while the wine itself is named Black Cat after a family pet. Winemaker Kenn Vigoda now oversees the wine, continuing a tradition started by Art Finkelstein, founder of Whitehall Lane Winery, who made the estate's first nine vintages.
The estate parcel sits on the Calistoga valley floor near Pickett Road, tucked between the Palisades to the north and Diamond Mountain to the south, close to the celebrated Eisele Vineyard. Its clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon vines grow in gravelly loam, giving the fruit mineral lift alongside structure. Grapes are picked at full ripeness, fermented as 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and aged over a year in French oak, including some new barrels. Only around a hundred cases are made each vintage.
The wine shows bright cherry and wild bramble fruit, laced with anise, mint, and plum. It stays consistent and expressive year after year, reflecting the small estate's site more than any particular vintage. Pour it with braised oxtail, aged Comté, or a dark cherry galette.