Our 2019 Hewitt Double Plus Cabernet is a remarkable wine with depth, complexity, and nuance. The concentration is elevated and Amarone-like with dried fruit notes of crushed fig, alongside a bright and focused mouthfeel, exhibiting the true elegance of this spectacular barrel selection. A darling amongst wine critics, this Cabernet is highly lauded and exemplary of the enigmatic character of Hewitt’s terroir. This vintage is a saturated, deep garnet ruby to black amethyst color, with intriguing, pronounced aromas, and multi-layered flavors, of dark plum, cassis and black cherry, alongside nuances of cola nut, molasses, and toffee, all showcasing the perfectly harmonized oak-integration. Double Plus epitomizes the complex character of Hewitt Vineyard, demonstrating a focused purity of fruit, with beautifully rich tones, and signature “Rutherford Dust” characteristics. The wine unfolds into a sinewy-smooth, fine, cocoa-powder tannin structure, with secondary flavors and aromas of sarsaparilla, holiday spice cake, and exotic star anise, persisting through the unctuous, supple, mouth coating finish that evolves, revealing more complexity with each sip. The must was partially fermented in small French barriques, thus enhancing the wine’s opulent mouthfeel and structure, softening the tannins, and giving this Cabernet its signature rum-raisin profile and spectacular concentration.
Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
---|---|
Vintage | 2019 |
Volume | 750mL |
Appellation | Napa Valley |
Alcohol % | 15.1% |
Enclosure Type | Cork |
“Fresh blackcurrants, citrus and flowers on the nose with a medium to full body and seamless, fine tannins. Excellent brightness, beauty and focus. Tight and linear at the end. Drinkable now, but better after 2025.” - James Suckling, May 4, 2022
“First made in 2009, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Plus brings more of everything, with wonderful purity in its blue fruit, violet, and spring flower aromatics. Full-bodied, concentrated, and layered, it has plenty of tannins, a good mix of lush fruit and solid underlying structure, and a great finish. It's a flat-out gorgeous Napa Valley Cabernet that should benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for over two decades.” - Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Plus is a classic Hewitt wine. A selection of the best barrels in the cellar, the Double Plus saturates the palate with inky dark fruit. New leather, licorice, chocolate and sweet French oak are all turned up in this plush, flamboyant Cabernet. The 2019 is a pretty bold wine, but that style works very well here.” - Antonio Galloni
Trevor grew up in nearby Sonoma County, one of the wine hubs of Northern California. Wine was a staple at his family dinner table, and he enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California, Davis. After an internship at Sonoma-Cutrer in 2003 and two consecutive harvest internships making sparkling wine at Gloria Ferrer, Trevor joined Moon Mountain Vineyard, a small, well-regarded organic vineyard in Sonoma, shortly after his graduation from UC Davis. In March of 2010, Trevor joined the winemaking team at Hewitt Vineyard and Provenance Vineyards and was appointed senior winemaker in 2015.
"From a winemaking standpoint, we have access to some of the best fruit in Napa Valley, not just from our estate in Rutherford, but also from Carneros in the south all the way up to Calistoga in the north. Our job is to make sure that each wine is balanced, complex, exciting and representative of its terroir."
Utilizing the latest in winemaking technology, we destemmed and sorted the grapes, ensuring only the best berries were used for this iconic wine. This gentle process retains about 70 percent whole berries. Then, the must was partially fermented in new French oak barrels to integrate the tannins and enhance the plush texture of the wine. Five to seven days of cold soaking, and roughly 30 days of total skin contact helped to develop the rich varietal character. During in-barrel malolactic fermentation, bâtonnage (lees stirring) was used to round the tannin profile and soften acidity. Finally, the wine was clarified with two or three rackings during barrel aging and then bottled without fining.
The 2019 Napa Valley harvest started one to two weeks later than previous years due to February rains. Spring continued to be wet with some rain during flowering, followed by cool temperatures that allowed the grapes to mature gradually. Most grapes ripened at lower sugars, thanks to the extended, cool growing season, and winemakers were pleased with the full flavors, fresh acidity, and superb balance of the 2019 fruit. The resulting crop showed a modest yield with a slightly more compact structure and extract than in previous years.
Sourced from the 60-acre Hewitt Estate Vineyard, this wine is composed of a barrel selection of the very finest parcels from this prized winegrowing land. Typically, only one or two special barrels are selected from at least two or three vineyard blocks that consistently produce the most exceptional fruit. The wine is renowned for showing impeccable balance, supple tannins, and highly concentrated flavors. Hewitt Vineyard is tucked against the Mayacamas mountain range on the western Rutherford Bench which provides ideal sun exposure and slope, promoting even ripening, while the well-draining alluvial soils allow the vines to root deeply, providing additional complexity and flavors. The current vines in the Hewitt Vineyard were planted from 1996 to 2002, and consist of Cabernet Sauvignon clones 4, 7 and 8, for flavor diversity as well as a small percentage of Petit Verdot.
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