2016 Kuleto El Coyote Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Winemaker Notes
Vintage 2016 gave us yet another beautiful vintage in the Napa Valley. This following the fabulous vintages of 2012-2015.
Marked by a few late-season heat spells, the wines are as opulent as the 2012s, with the concentration of the 2014s.
Wine lots and barrels selected for our ‘El Coyote’ Cabernet Sauvignon don’t necessarily come from a particular spot on the
estate ( à la Vineyard Designate), but rather share common flavor and structural attributes that highlight the dark, meaty,
rich, black fruit aspects of the variety. To further highlight these characters, we often co-ferment with varieties that share
these same qualities. You’ll notice that there is a small percentage of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and
Alicante Bouschet in our 2016. This is the result of one piece of the final blend that captured the best synergy of the the
varieties. The 2016 ‘El Coyote’ Cabernet is about all things dark and powerful in a red wine. Dark blue-black fruit aromas
tangle with those of darkly charred wood and blackened meat. It’s very primal smelling. In the mouth, it lunges straight to
the mid-palate then lurks under the tongue and coats the sides. If you like your Cabernet big, flavorful, and chewy, this is
the one for you from the 2016 vintage.
Composition
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Zinfandel, 5% Petit Syrah, 4% Pinot Noir,
3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Alicante Bouschet
Wine Specs
Vintage
2016
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Napa Valley
Acid
5.3 g/L
pH
3.8
Aging
18 months in 40% new oak
Alcohol %
14.5
Vineyard Notes
Kuleto is one of the most complex and diverse wine producing properties in the world. Located in the volcanic mountains of
eastern Napa our estate features 781 total acres and 82.9 acres of vines perched along ridges and clinging to steep hillsides.
Our soils, exposures, elevation changes and sub-climates are so complex that we’ve delineated our property into more than
100 micro-blocks. Each of these tiny plots is treated as an individual vineyard with varieties, clones, rootstocks, density,
trellising and farming methods tailored specifically to the site.
For winemaker John Clews, there is a mutual understanding that all but a small percentage of the winemaker’s work is done
in the vineyard. Keeping the vineyard’s serpentine twists and exposures in mind, the best-suited varietals for each block have
been selected. Working with the land, not against it, the individually terraced lots are not oriented to one central direction,
but instead are planted to maximize the benefits of their natural location.
