CROZE Cabernet sauvignon follows the Croze philosophy of balance and elegance. Here is a wine with its roots deep in the Napa Valley with grapes grown in three distinct AVA’s. Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain combine to create this distinct wine.
Following a slow fermentation the wine was racked to barrel using 1/3 new, 1/3 once filled, and 1/3 neutral French Oak barrels. The wine was allowed to age gracefully for 28 months prior to bottling.
Our 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the eastern floor of Oakville, on the Silverado Trail. Grown in the Giannone Vineyard which revered for its depth and complexity, with true varietal character. Benefiting from full day sun and rocky mineral laden soils, this vineyard is a gem among the giants of Oakville.
Our winemaker carefully crafts this wine to allow the elegance and balance of the vineyard show. The aromas open with rich plum and tobacco. On the palate the fruit intensifies with briary dark fruit and cedar. The tannins are firm but balanced and the finish has a distinct acidity. This wine has the potential to age gracefully in your cellar for decades.
Our Mélange is a wine that is produced in the Right Bank Bordeaux style. This wine is blended to highlight the best of each varietal and showcase the rich elegance of these two signature vineyards.
This beautiful blend consists of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot.
Grapes for the 2019 SMITH WOOTON Mélange come from two highly acclaimed Napa Valley Vineyard. Flinn Vineyard is the site where our single vineyard cabernet franc is made. In addition, we blended in merlot grown in the Longmeadow Ranch vineyard. Both of these sites are expertly farmed using Bordeaux practices and influence. Winemaker, Daniel Benton further accentuated our homage to the Right Bank by using old world European techniques in the cellar.
2018 Croze Cabernet Sauvignon follows the Croze philosophy of balance and elegance. Our signature wine shows its deep roots in the cult wine growing area of Oakville, and its great pedigree . This wine is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon showing its Oakville roots with beautiful aromas of dark plum, cocoa and toasted oak, unfolding into hazelnut and cloves, full bodied with depth, moderate tannin and brillant acidity on the finish. The grapes were harvested in October 2018 and following a slow fermentation the wine was racked to barrel using 1/3 new, 1/3 once filled and 1/3 twice filled French Oak barrels. The wine was racked twice in 2019 and 2020.
The grapes were hand harvested at night and pressed immediately upon arriving at the winery at 6am. The juice was left on the lees to settle for 48 hours before being rack into French oak barrels where it was fermented. The wine was aged sur lie for a full year with lees stirring every two weeks before being bottled.
Grapes for our 2020 Viognier came from Block 7 vineyard in Clarksburg, California. This area lends itself well to Viognier with less of a diurnal temperature shift than Napa Valley. The hot days help drive the ripeness that brings out the true varietal flavors that make viognier such a special wine. With only two tons per acre, this old
vine viognier block creates intense character and depth.
The grapes were harvested September 6, 2020 and after pressing, went directly to a climate controlled tank for fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was racked to neutral French Oak barrels where it aged gracefully for 5 months. The resulting wine has a defined depth of flavor of liquid gold
