Trailside Vineyard Seysses - Lawrence - Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Price: $219.96
| Producer | Trailside Vineyard Seysses - Lawrence |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 604236 |
| Size | 750ml |
Given his Burgundian roots, it might seem unexpected to see Jeremy Seysses turning his attention to California Cabernet. Yet Napa is not unfamiliar ground, early in his career, he worked at Robert Mondavi Winery, gaining firsthand experience with the region and its fruit and it should be noted that Jeremy's wife, Dianna Snowden Seysses is the winemaker at her family's Snowden Vineyards in Napa Valley as well. So, when he was approached by his friend Carlton McCoy, CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates and Trailside Vineyard with the opportunity to work with the famed Trailside Vineyard he took it. Carlton's sales pitch to him was, let's make a wine we want to drink.
Now, at Domaine Dujac, stem inclusion and submerged cap fermentations are standard practice; in Napa Valley, especially with Cabernet Sauvignon, they are anything but. Still, we know these techniques can be quite successful judging from a similar philosophy at Carmes Haut Brion's second wine "Le C de Carmes" The question becomes less “why?” and more “why not here?
Trailside Vineyard is a historic parcel on Rutherford’s east side, once known as Wildwood Ranch. In the 1970s and 1980s, its fruit quietly found its way into benchmark bottlings from estates like Heitz Cellar and Spring Mountain Vineyard. Just north of Beckstoffer’s Georges III, the vineyard sits on a complex patchwork of gravel, volcanic, and loamy soils, a geological mosaic that brings both structure and aromatic detail. As we know from Heitz's examples it is a pedigreed site.
The resulting Cabernet is unmistakably Rutherford, yet strikingly fresh in its expression. Whole-cluster inclusion brings tension and energy, lifting the aromatics and refining the tannins, while the submerged cap builds depth without heaviness. 70% of the wine is aged in 500L new oak barrels with another 20% in 500L neutral oak, and only 10% in standard Burgundy sized new oak barrels (228L). There is purity of fruit, savory complexity, and a fine structural backbone that speaks more to classic restraint than modern opulence.
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