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Background
When Tony Peju purchased the 30-acre “Stephanie Vineyard” in 1983, it had been producing wine grapes since the early 1900s and some of the vines much longer. Originally planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Colombard, the fruit was sold to a number of wineries by the vineyard’s former owners.
Peju continued to sell grapes initially and continued to improve the vineyard through greater attention to canopy management, trellising and irrigation. He also changed the name to the “H.B. Vineyard”, the initials of his wife.
Ideally situated between Highway 29 and the west bank of the Napa River, the vineyard is part of the Rutherford Appellation, a six square mile region famous even by Napa Valley standards. Nearby are the historic vineyards of Inglenook (now Coppola), Robert Mondavi, Beaulieu and Caymus. The Rutheford H.B. Vineyard soil is deep and well drained, formed by three alluvial fans which supply gravel and sand to the valley floor’s deep loamy soil. Water flows easily through the soil and drains to the river.
Read More: http://peju.com/
Review
PEJU 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon / Rutherford
All the fruit was hand picked and hand sorted for this Cabernet, and the extra care comes through in the quality. An invigorating nose of ripe cherry, raspberry, plum, smoky oak, violets, and vanilla greets the senses. When sipped, cherry, currants, and plum unfurl into deeper notes of vanilla and a kiss of toasty oak. Supple tannins and a very smooth finish make this a lovely, elegant wine that deserves the company of a juicy prime rib..
Score: 91
