2015 Profile

2015 Profile Wine Bottle

Varietals

90% Cabernet Sauvignon
5% Petit Verdot
5% Cabernet Franc

Appellation

Napa Valley

Alcohol

14.7%

Flavor Profile

2015 was a very early harvest for our Profile Estate Vineyard due to the dry, hot vintage. The vines had little vigor and carried little fruit. Consequently, harvest was quick and the fruit was ripe at the same time throughout the vineyard. The heat around harvest also resulted in very good extractability of tannins and color which allowed us to limit maceration time and only extract the best part of the skins. The finished wine is very dark in color and in flavor with hints of blackberries, dark cherries, cedar and dark chocolate. In the mouth, the velvet texture and fine grained tannins are remarkable. 2015 Profile is extremely long and concentrated and it should keep improving for another 10 to 20 years. Decant this wine in its youth.

  • Vineyard Notes

    Our Profile proprietary red blend showcases the very best fruit from each harvest, sourced exclusively from our gorgeous hillside estate vineyard located east of St. Helena. Overlooking the Napa Valley, the Profile Estate Vineyard lies on an eastern ridge at almost one thousand feet of elevation. Planted in 1997 by David Abreu, Michel Rolland and then winemaker Bob Levy, the 25-acre vineyard is comprised of four different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with two acres of Petit Verdot and one acre of Cabernet Franc. The steep slopes, rocky soils and volcanic ash bedrock make it a very challenging site to farm, yet this vineyard consistently delivers grapes that stand out for their plush fruit character, complexity and silky tannin.

     

    The grapes were hand-harvested at night in order to get the fruit into the cellar by very early morning and as fresh as possible. Each lot was fermented separately in small tanks. Native fermentation began after a 5-day cold soak and reached a peak temperature of 90°F. The wines were pumped over a few times a day until dryness and the total time in tank was around 15 days. After that, the wines were drained to barrels where malolactic fermentation occurred. We aged the wine for 26 months in 80% new French oak barrels from Taransaud and Sylvain. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

  • FROM JEBDUNNUCK.COM: “A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc...

    … aged 26 months in new oak, the flagship 2015 Profile is brilliant, and has slightly more concentration and richness than the 2014… Blackcurrants… licorice, and hints of violets
    all flow to a full-bodied, concentrated Cabernet… It’s going to have two decades or more of longevity.”  —Jeb Dunnuck [95+ POINTS]

  • FROM ROBERTPARKER.COM: "A BLEND OF 90% CABERNET SAUVIGNON,

    5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc from the Profile Estate vineyard and aged 26 months in 80% new French oak, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Profile is deep garnet-purple in color and shows notes of baked plums, blackberry preserves and dried mulberries with touches of incense, iron ore, tobacco and new leather. The palate is medium to full-bodied and packed with loads of red and black fruit layers, framed by firm, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and earthy.” —Lisa Perrotti-Brown [93 POINTS]

  • FROM JAMESSUCKLING.COM: "EXTREMELY WELL-CRAFTED...

    with ultra-fine and creamy tannins that focus your attention on the clean and vivid fruit of blueberries, blackberries and sandalwood. Full-bodied, layered and fresh.” —James Suckling [93 POINTS]

2015 Profile Wine Bottle