Mon Chou (my sweetheart) #6 is a blend of the six red varietals native to the region of Bordeaux, France with ours growing in the AVA of Yountville, Napa Valley. This wine is rich with flavors, complexity, and depth – a style that is always close to our hearts. Dark ruby in color with a dusty nose of violets, cocoa, cassis, blackberries, tobacco, and mint. Sweet, toasty oak greets the palate followed by focused flavors of mulberries, cherries, and red currants. Full-bodied and balanced with deep fruit flavors, well-integrated tannins, and a smooth lingering finish. A very nice wine. Tastes so good now, it’s going to be hard to cellar.
This is the little vineyard of 1.08 acres next door to our winery on Hoffman Lane. It is owned by our neighbor, Paul Camusi who generously allowed us to plant it to our liking. In 2006 we planted it to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot, and Carménère with the intention of growing a wine rather than merely grapes. The Yountville AVA offers a unique combination in Napa both with soil and climate. The soil is sedimentary in origin, gravelly alluvial earth with rock. Climatically, the cool marine currents from San Pablo Bay to the south are trapped when they reach what is known as the Yountville Mounts, keeping the air naturally cooler even on the warmest summer days and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop distinct flavors and show off the local “terroir.”