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Helen Keplinger
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Steven Contursi
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Michaell Wolf
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The Site
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Little Creek Vineyard is a 3-acre parcel of Cabernet Franc, Malbec,
and Cabernet Sauvignon surrounding the home in Napa.
This area is part of a proposed AVA called Tulocay, a horseshoe-shaped
valley to the east of the city of Napa.
Tulocay was a word used to describe the Native American inhabitants of
a village in this small valley, and today it describes a viticultural
zone, distinct from it's neighbors in Napa County in a number of important
ways.
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The Terroir
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Like its neighbor to the south, Carneros, Tulocay benefits from the
cooling breezes drawn in through the Golden Gate; however, here the
morning fog burns off much sooner, and cool breezes sweep through
the vineyard on late summer afternoons, which slows ripening and
encourages flavor development in the grapes.
This microclimate is distinct from the valley floor and mountain
appellations of the Napa Valley.
The soils are well-drained, stony loams that are essentially weathered
volcanic materials, washed down the valley over millennia.
This Cabernet Franc vineyard was planted in 1993, on low-vigor
rootstocks.
Today it is entering its prime years of production.
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Vinification
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Cropped for miniscule yields (approximately 1.1 tons per acre), the fruit is
harvested when completely ripe, and along with the Cabernet Sauvignon and
delightfully exotic Malbec.
The grapes are treated just like Pinot Noir, and are given the same long cold
soak, gentle fermentation, and post-fermentation maceration.
A portion of the wine is raised in new French oak from the finest Burgundian
coopers.
Only a very tiny amount of this wine is made - about 250 cases per year for the world,
and it is available primarily on a retail basis, through our winery.
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