Though Aaron Pott is highly revered and vastly celebrated for the wines he makes for other vintners, Pott Wines is his own personal label that has become exceedingly admired and difficult to acquire.  Aaron was first introduced to wine at the young age of ten during a stint abroad in France.  Though fleeting, it was enough to capture him as an adult, and thus began a rich life of travel and winemaking. After gathering decades of winemaking experience in both France and California, Aaron and his wife Claire purchased a 75-acre parcel on Mt. Veeder in 2004. In 2007 Pott Wine was created, followed by their selection of single vineyards Cabernets in 2009.  

Winemaker: Aaron spent six years working in Grand Cru Classé wineries in the Saint-Émilion region of France, first as Winemaker at Château Troplong Mondot and later as Director of Château La Tour Figeac. This gave him a profound insight into site-specific plots of land and the diversity of expression terroir can have on wine.  Pott moved back to California in 1998 and has consulted on many esteemed projects since: Quintessa, Quixote, Stagecoach Vineyard, Blackbird Vineyards, St. Helena Winery, Somnium, & Perliss to name a few. Aaron can bend at will to produce wines of different styles and origins depending on a client’s needs, broadening his palate and providing him many brushes with which to paint. Pott Wines has given Aaron the opportunity to develop his own trademark style.

Vineyard: Spring Mountain is one of Napa’s most hallowed appellations, known for wineries like Pride and Keenan, who made their names on dark, intense Cabernet with power and complexity to spare. But Aaron Pott’s Kaliholmanok Cab towers above its peers, very literally, from the highest vineyard on the mountain—the ne plus ultra of Spring Mountain, dramatic in its power and energy. The Kaliholmanok has a unique place in Aaron’s heart—he’s been in love with the vineyard ever since he helped plant it nearly two decades ago. It’s rare for a winemaker to have the chance to guide a vineyard in Napa from planting to the present, and that unique connection shows through with an extra bit of magic in the bottle.

Winemaking:  The 2017 Kaliholmanok is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  In the cellar, Pott Wines see an intense sorting process with not one but four stages of selection allowing only the purest fruit to make its way to the large oak barrel and clay amphorae fermenters. Relying on spontaneous, native yeasts and employing hand punch-downs only, long, slow macerations ensue which delicately extract tannin and intense color as well. Fermentations are constantly monitored and reevaluated every day allowing for micro-adjustments based on the individual needs of each lot. After 20 months in barrel, the wines are bottled and spend up to a year at the winery before being released.

Profile: The nose is the essence of Spring Mountain, with power and intensity allied to elegance in a way that few other places in Napa can pull off. Aromas of black and blueberries mingle with hints of exotic pepper, dusty chocolate, sandalwood, and hints of vanilla. The palate is magical as well, loaded with body and texture that deliver the dark fruit flavors with energy and drive, complemented by surprisingly supple yet firm tannins.

120 cases produced