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Trujillo, Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley, United States 2015 (750mL)
$85.00
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Trujillo, Cabernet Sauvignon

Today’s wine was 30 years in the making. I’m not saying it was aged for 30 years, but rather that its maker, Michael Trujillo, spent nearly 30 years making wine and exploring the vineyards of the Napa Valley before launching his own label in 2011.
Trujillo was a longtime fixture at Sequoia Grove, having started out working in the vineyards for founder Jim Allen and later apprenticing under legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff, eventually rising through the ranks to become Sequoia Grove’s Director of Winemaking and President. The man has earned his stripes, to be sure, and you can also be sure he’s assembled impeccable vineyard sources for the Cabernet that bears his name. Vineyards and farming remain Trujillo’s main preoccupation, and today’s 2015 is assembled from three distinct Napa Valley sources: one in Rutherford, one on Howell Mountain, and one in the hills above St. Helena. Only about 600 cases of this wine are produced in any given year, and yet, despite its “boutique” dimensions, the price still comes in well under three digits. That’s a rare feat for a Napa Cabernet of such pedigree, and it goes without saying it’s deserving of a spot in your cellar, where it will continue to improve over the next 15-20 years and out-perform wines costing much, much more. Trujillo is the real deal and this ’15 is an especially elegant example of a Cabernet master at the top of his game!
Hailing from southern Colorado, where he grew up looking after sheep and cattle on his parents’ 3,000-acre ranch, Trujillo was an engineering student in college when he first visited Napa in the early 1980s. He caught the wine bug instantly, leaving his engineering studies behind and instead enrolling in enology classes at UC Davis while working in vineyards. He landed a job in the cellar at Allen’s Sequoia Grove, which eventually turned into more than a decade working alongside Tchelistcheff, the famed Russian-born consultant whom many referred to as the “maestro.”

In addition to Sequoia Grove, Trujillo’s winemaking credits also include a stint with the Cabernet-focused label Karl Lawrence, some of whose source vineyards he now has access to for his Trujillo wines. Today’s 2015 includes fruit from the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford and the famed Herb Lamb Vineyard on Howell Mountain, so there’s no shortage of concentration and power, but as Trujillo notes, the signature of the 2015 vintage in Napa was elegance and finesse. Despite being a hot year with one of the earliest harvest completions ever recorded, the critical consensus was that the resulting wines showed impressive restraint and balance.

This was certainly our experience with Trujillo’s ’15, which is comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barriques. It is characteristically opaque to look at, with a ruby-black hue leading to purple at the rim, but there’s a high-toned quality to both the aromas and the texture that makes for some delicious drinking right out of the gate. Decant this velvety red about 45 minutes before serving in large Bordeaux stems and you’ll be treated to an aromatic master class on the Napa Valley: black cherry, cassis, huckleberry, green peppercorns, allspice, cacao nibs, violets, almond skin, and graphite. It is full-bodied and lush, with ultra-fine cocoa-powder tannins that grip but don’t bite. There’s no doubt it eclipses many Napa Cabernets costing twice as much, so do yourself a favor and stock up if you can: Over the next 10-15 years (and beyond), this is going to be a supremely delicious option for pairing with big tomahawk steaks, braised short ribs, and other beefy delights. Enjoy!
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Country
United States
Region
Napa Valley
Sub-Region
United StatesAVAs of Rutherford, Howell Mountain, & St. Helena
Soil
Various
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Merlot 7%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 2%, Malbec 1%
Alcohol
14.5
OAK
85% New French Barrels
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stem
Drinking
Now-2035
Decanting
30-60 Minutes
Pairing
Braised Short Ribs w/ Chocolate & Rosemary

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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