Vineyard Notes

Planted atop a knoll in the gentle rolling hills of Coombsville, this 22-acre vineyard was planted in 1998 by legendary viticulturalist Mike Wolf, who has been involved with developing and managing vineyards for over 35 years and currently farms 40 vineyards throughout Napa Valley. Neither hillside nor valley floor, this perch in the southeast corner of Napa Valley offers a singular combination of elevation, aspect and stony, volcanic ash soils. The well-draining soils impart depth and minerality to the wine, and the even, daytime temperatures and cooling breezes from San Pablo Bay allow leisurely ripening, which softens tannins and produces lush, yet bright, fruit. There is a distinct profile to Meteor Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that we love: its vibrant, violet-hued color, flavors of blackberry and red cherries, and ripe fruit aromas create a beautifully refined and elegant wine with everything in perfect balance. We picked, fermented and aged Cabernet Sauvignon clones 4 and 7 and a tiny bit of Petit Verdot individually, then crafted our final blend from them.

Production Notes

The 2017 growing season was long and required a steady hand through its ebb and flow of heat events interspersed with weeks of cool weather. The upside to this was that it allowed the grapes to accumulate sugar slowly, and the resulting wines exhibit a fascinating complexity of flavors, and we harvested these over ten days in late September to early October.

Winemaker Notes

Winemaker Jennifer Williams has been with Ziata since January 2015. After interning for a harvest at Araujo Estate and Spottswoode Estate, she joined Spottswoode full time and worked under the tutelage of vineyard manager David Abreu before becoming the winery’s vineyard manager for two years, and then winemaker for six years, before launching her consulting business in 2011.

Production: 200 cases

Reviews:

96pts Antonio Galloni for  Vinous

"The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Meteor Vineyard from Ziata is one of the most impressive wines I tasted this past fall. Rich, powerful and deep, the 2017 possesses magnificent complexity and nuance from start to finish. Gravel, grilled herbs, sweet tobacco, licorice and dried flowers build as this dazzling Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its tremendous pedigree. This is a real 'wow' wine from proprietor Karen Cakebread and winemaker Jen Williams."- Antonio Galloni