{"product_id":"pilcrow-cabernet-sauvignon-granit-lake-2021","title":"Pilcrow Cabernet Sauvignon Granit Lake 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowell Mountain sits 1,800 to 2,200 feet above Napa Valley, above the marine fog line that moderates the valley floor. Granite Lake Vineyard is on the ridgeline itself, at 2,097 feet, which is at the upper limit of where Cabernet can ripen in California without losing structure. The soils are red, iron-rich, and volcanic, low in nutrients and low in vigor. Mountain fruit is not the same animal as valley floor fruit: Howell Mountain Cabernet consistently produces finer tannins, better natural acidity, and more mineral precision than equivalent wines grown at lower elevations. That has been understood here since Diamond Creek established itself on the mountain in the 1970s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 22 months in French barriques, 30% new oak. Sara Beer uses a cold soak before fermentation, avoids extended post-fermentation maceration, and neither fines nor filters. 235 cases produced. 2021 was a difficult vintage in Napa: late spring rains, then summer drought and heat events compressed the growing season and reduced yields substantially. The Granite Lake site's elevation buffered the extremes more than the valley floor. The result is dark cherry, cassis, dried herbs, graphite, and iron-tinged minerality, with fine-grained mountain tannins and a dry, extended finish. This is structured to age over a decade but already rewarding with air.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePilcrow was founded by Sara and Jonah Beer, with their first vintage in 2014. Their references are pre-1980s Napa: Heitz, Spottswoode, Diamond Creek. Sara spent thirteen years at Duckhorn overseeing wholesale markets before leaving to found both Pilcrow and a distribution company. Jonah came through Stag's Leap and Frog's Leap, eventually as Vice President at the latter. Their farming model is regenerative: no irrigation, no till, no hedging, no thinning. \"Our goal is to make the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of the 1950s,\" Jonah has said. Sara is the primary winemaker; the approach in the cellar removes rather than adds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDouble-cut lamb chops with rosemary and garlic, a dry-aged New York strip with pan sauce, short rib braised with red wine and herbs, or aged Manchego with Ibérico ham. The structure handles real meat; the mineral precision keeps it from being buried.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Down Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50262693150943,"sku":null,"price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6200459.jpg?v=1782000666","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/pilcrow-cabernet-sauvignon-granit-lake-2021","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}