Introducing the 2008 Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon

Precious gifts

Last week I received a very special order. It was attached to the following e-mail:

We would like to purchase 2 bottles please.

We named our daughter who was born on Sept 9, Aurielle.  We read really good
reviews about your wine and would like to purchase a few bottles every year,
so we can keep it and enjoy them with her when she grows up.

Thanks,
Hendry & Melanie

Congratulations Mom and Dad. She's beautiful!

Aurielle Press: More great Press for Aurielle and winemaker Chad A...

Aurielle Press: More great Press for Aurielle and winemaker Chad A...: From Wine Access: "Chad Alexander is best known for his brainchild brand called "Chad". But here in Napa Valley, Alexander's reputation i...

More great Press for Aurielle and winemaker Chad Alexander

From Wine Access:


"Chad Alexander is best known for his brainchild brand called "Chad". But here in Napa Valley, Alexander's reputation is tied to his singular touch with mountain Cabernet. Alexander is the winemaking prodigy who became head winemaker up at Robert Craig while still wet behind the ears. His work up on Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain set the stage for Alexander to set up his own boutique consultancy. It didn't take long for Robert Parker to take note, as the Wine Advocate raved about Alexander's 2007 "Aurielle", a Howell Mountain gem that earned 93 points."


For those of you who haven't tried Aurielle, you are in for a treat when you do.
Parker raved about it's "exuberance, opulence and pure fruit" and called it "A new discovery".
There were only 300 cases made and there are less than 20 cases still left. While drinkable now, the 2007 Aurielle will cellar for the next 10 or 15 years. To get yours before it's all gone, sign up on the mailing list at www.auriellevineyards.com 

#Cabernet Day September 1st

We're excited to be participating in the second annual #Cabernet Day on September 1, 2011.
If you are not familiar with #Cabernet Day, it's a social media wine tasting event where wine lovers around the world celebrate Cabernet Sauvignon and share a virtual tasting in coordination with live pourings in all of the great Cabernet growing regions around the world!

We will be sharing our 2007 Aurielle Cabernet, the wine Robert Parket gave 93 points and called "Exuberant and Opulent; A new discovery".

Want to know what it takes to make a 93 point Cabernet? Read on.....

As harvest approached, careful scientific analysis of both sugar and acid levels were conducted almost daily. The final picking decision however, was decided strictly by flavor profile as determined by the educated palettes and collective experience of the winegrowers and Aurielle’s winemaker, Chad Alexander.

Harvest was conducted in the cool morning hours and the grapes were rushed to the winery for crushing and de-stemming. The must was then chilled to 55 degrees and the wine was left to cold soak for 1 week before a gradual rise in temperature enabled the natural yeast to begin fermentation. Twice daily punch-downs were conducted in small open –top fermentors. After fermentation to dryness was completed, the wine went through an additional 3 week extended maceration process to extract maximum color and tannins that perfectly match the intense flavors of the mountain grown fruit.

A state of the art bladder press was used to extract the wine from the must and only free-run juices were kept. The wine was aged following a complex barrel program designed to create a unique and distinctive flavor and aroma profile of exceptional complexity. French oak was used exclusively with 80 percent of barrels being new and 20 percent being used once. Four different premium coopers were represented and 20% of the barrels were specifically sourced from The Limousin forrest in France to provide a top-note of vanilla and caramel tones.. The wine from both the Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder vineyard sights was aged in separate lots for 12 months during which time careful racking was conducted as necessary to clarify the wine. After 12 months, the lots were blended and extremely small amounts of Petit Verdot (1%), Merlot (.5%) and Cabernet Franc (1%) from Mount Veeder were added to increase complexity. After blending, the wine went trough an additional 6 months of barrel aging and racking as required, before being bottled un-fined and unfiltered after a total of 18 months in Oak. An additional 12 months of bottle aging commenced before release in the September of 2010.

Nice review from Gimme More Wine. Thanks guys!

Beautiful deep dark violet color looks like swirling velvet in the glass! Very nice aromatics on this Napa Valley cab: blueberries, spices, currants, a little earthiness, all wrapped tightly with oak. We couldn't stop smelling it!

The flavors were bursting through with blueberries, currants, dark chocolate, tobacco, and even a little bacon fat (yes, bacon fat!). You seem to find a new flavor profile with each sip--exceptional complexity. This cab is robust, full bodied, and has wonderful balance. We thought this would be an awesome pairing for braised short ribs or filet mignon! Although, It could easily be enjoyed on it's own. 

Meet Chad Alexander, Winemaker

Some very nice words from Wine Access about Chad Alexander, Aurielle's winemaker (that's Chad in the striped shirt) and the 2007 Aurielle.


On WineAccess, most of you know Alexander as the creator of "Chad" -- the brand Alexander dreamed up at a Napa barbecue when the valley was mired in the throes of the recession. But here in the valley, Chad Alexander is far better known for his deft hand with mountain Cabernet. After a several year stint as winemaker at Robert Craig, in 2006, Alexander set out on his own. Within six months, he had a half dozen clients, each paying handsomely for his extravagant mountain Cabernet touch. If you're lucky, you still have a few bottles of Alexander's last masterpiece, the 2007 Aurielle that Parker lavished with 93pts.

2007 Aurielle Cabernet named WineMatch wine of the quarter!

Of course we're proud of our 2007 Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a beautiful example of Napa mountain Cabernet, grown above the fog line on Howell Mountain and aged for 2 years in 80% new French oak. Yields were small and we only produced 300 cases. Robert Parker called the 2007 Aurielle "A new discovery" and said the 2007 was "opulent and exuberant" and gave it a 93 point rating! Now WineMatch.com has awarded it the wine of the quarter ( http://winematch.com/n/72)

As I'm sure you know, 2007 is widely regarded as the finest year for Napa Cab's in the past three decades with Wine Spectator rating the vintage a classic 99 to 100 points. There's not much 2007 Aurielle left, so please join our mailing list at www.auriellevineyards.com and order yours while it's still available. 10% discount on cases.

Aurielle Press: Of wine, women and song

Aurielle Press: Of wine, women and song: "The name Aurielle is derived from the Latin roots 'AU' meaning 'gold' and 'AUR' meaning 'sound'. Wine and music have been important parts of..."

Of wine, women and song

The name Aurielle is derived from the Latin roots "AU" meaning "gold" and "AUR" meaning "sound". Wine and music have been important parts of my life, so when I saw this beautiful Gretsch White Falcon guitar in the shop last week with her sexy curves and golden sparkle, I just had to have her. I've named her Aurielle. ;-)

Space shuttle launch

Nothing to do with wine and food today but I just had to write about a most amazing experience. I went to Kennedy Space Center to watch the final launch of Endeavor. Wow! Want an awesome machine. 4.6 milliom pounds when completely loaded. The solid rocket boosters consume 11,000 pounds per second. You would think with all that weight the shuttle would be slow but within 10 seconds it was moving at over 3000 miles per hour. And the sound! From 6 miles away your cloths flap in the pressure wave and it's louder and lower than any disco you've ever been in. An incredible feat of technology and coordination for sure. Don't miss the final launch in July if you get the chance.

The Oeno File: 2007 Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley « Guitar Aficionado

The Oeno File: 2007 Aurielle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley « Guitar Aficionado

Winematch.com red wine of the week

We are honored that the folks at winematch.com liked the 2007 Aurielle Cabernet so much they named us "Red Wine of the Week". Yay!

What's next?

Frank@Aurielle said...
What's next for Aurielle Vineyards? Our mission is to find California's best small vineyards and make wines of character and distinction from them. Our initial release, a small lot Howell Mountain cabernet is rated by Robert Parker at 93 points. Sonoma Coast Pinot? Paso Robles Syrah? Dry Creek Zinfandell; Carneros Chardonnay? Cast your vote here!

Frank K. Sterns
President and CEO
Aurielle Vineyards, LLC.
707-320-3263

San Francisco Vintners Market April 9th and 10th

Come taste 2007 and 2008 Aurielle Howell Mountain Cabernet at the San Francisco Vintners Market at Fort Mason Center this Saturday and Sunday. We'll be pouring the wine Robert Parker recently described as "A New Discovery". Join our mailing list for a chance to win a case of 2008 Aurielle Cabernet. www.auriellevineyard.com/mailinglist. For more information go to http://www.sfvintnersmarket.com/about.html