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2005 LA CASTELLANA , Super Tuscan Blend

A stunningly elegant blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese, our award-winning "Lady of the Castle" is still aging gracefully for years to come. An excellent addition to any collector's cellar. The first vintage of La Castellana available at The Castle.

ACCOLADES

Rated 90 points in Wine Spectator Magazine's 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon retrospective tasting:

"The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet vintage at age 10 has proven to be a bit of a roller coaster. Many of the wines are very, very good, but there are others that show the imbalance of a supersized crop, with mixed tannin levels. Of the 164 2005 Cabernets I recently tasted blind inWine Spectator's Napa office, 41 earned 90 points or higher, with a total of 112 rated very good or better."

"The second tier of wines also stars veteran Napa vintners whose experience paid off when managing 2005's huge crop. Castello di Amorosa was a relatively new producer that year, but owner Dario Sattui, of the V. Sattui winery family, has been working Napa harvests since the 1970s."

CASTELLO DI AMOROSA La Castellana Napa Valley 2005 Score: 90

Well-structured, with vibrant acidity giving life and firmness to the black cherry and blackberry flavors. Flexes tannic muscle on the finish, where the flavors gain a gravelly note, ending clean and refreshing. Drink now through 2022. —J.L.

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*90 Points - Wine Spectator*

Wine Specs

Vintage

2005

Varietal

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 14% Sangiovese

Appellation

Napa Valley

Acid

6.5 g/L

3.59

Aging

20 months in French oak barrels

Residual Sugar

Alcohol %

14.6

Wine Spectator

Robert Parker

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes

Full and brilliant red-black color, showing very rich aromatics combining savory Tuscan herbs, fresh red cherry, pomegranate, with mocha, wild berry and currants on the nose. Feminine, yet structured with sweet, focused red plum notes and hints of cranberry from the Sangiovese mingle with the expansive, spicy black pepper and black cherry of the Bordeaux varietals. It is an elegant, complex wine, with good depth, volume and balanced with very velvety tannins providing length and a smooth, lingering texture.

Ratings

♦ 90 Points - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate "The label of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon La Castellana takes us to medieval Italy, but the fruit in this wine takes us to the heart of Napa Valley. A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 14% Sangiovese, aged 20 months in French oak, it is this winery’s New World version of a Super-Tuscan. Loads of spice, new saddle leather, blackcurrants and cherries are all present in this ripe, medium-bodied, attractive and complex wine that should drink nicely for another decade." ♦ 90 Points - James Laube, Wine Spectator 2015 Retrospective Tasting "Well-structured, with vibrant acidity giving life and firmness to the black cherry and blackberry flavors. Flexes tannic muscle on the finish, where the flavors gain a gravelly note, ending clean and refreshing. Drink now through 2022."

Awards

Wine of the Week - About.com "The 2005 Castello di Amorosa La Castellana, Super Tuscan blend showcases an ultra-elegant synergy of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Deep, dark color, thick waves of spice-laden aromatics and impressive primary and secondary palate flavors start this show off with a bang! Dark cherry and black plums dominate the fruit profile with ambitious backup played by black pepper and a dash of dark chocolate and espresso. Make no mistake; this is a full-bodied, full-featured red wine that enjoys a long, distinguished finish and brims with palate complexity, enduring elegance, and rich, supportive tannins. A perfect candidate for pairing with roasted cuts of beef or wild game, sausage or dishes that rely on the traditional Italian spices of garlic, rosemary and thyme.” - Stacy Slinkard

Winemaker Notes

Beginning as early as the late 1960s, a few winemakers in Tuscany attempted to make more complex red wines by planting the classic Bordeaux red grape varieties. While they experimented with these wines as separate varietal blends excluding the regional variety, Sangiovese, they also tried omitting the small amount of the white variety “Malvasia bianca” traditionally added to Sangiovese to produce “Chianti Classico” in lieu of a blend with Bordeaux varietals (namely, cabernet sauvignon and merlot) The term "Super Tuscan" describes a red wine made in this new style. It is aromatic and intense, with a character all its own. Italian examples of the Bordeaux reds from this region are Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello, now some of the most revered wines in the world. Examples of the Bordeaux/Sangiovese blends are Guidalberto and Le Volte. La Castellana is similar in style to these wines.

Production

1808 cases

2005 LA CASTELLANA , Super Tuscan Blend

ACCOLADES

Rated 90 points in Wine Spectator Magazine's 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon retrospective tasting:

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