Mayacama Wine Offer - Skipstone Wines

The Skipstone Vineyard encompasses 30 organically farmed acres forming an amphitheater shape surrounded by steep mountain slopes. An ambitious redevelopment of the vineyard was undertaken upon the discovery of the site and new viticultural practices were implemented after listening to the vineyard through extensive evaluation.

The unique bowl shape of the isolated vineyard offers great diversity of terrain and soil types. Extensive soil studies allowed the winery to partition the site into 42 micro blocks so as to farm with precision on the single vine level. The entire annual production offers an exceptionally low average of two tons per acre. At the top of the bowl is an intense hillside known as Los Rocas, so named by the vineyard crew for its rock soils and home to their oldest cabernet vines. The hillside faces southwest and is blessed with warm sun all day requiring precise canopy management to control sun exposure. This steep section of the vineyard is outfitted with an irrigation system that can address blocks as small as two-tenths of an acre, allowing for targeted watering of the vines only when and where it is needed.

A small amount of Viognier is planted in Makena’s Vineyard, a hillside area that has east, west and south facing exposures resulting in great diversity of fruit character. Resting just below Makena’s Vineyard in the bench land, lays Skipstone’ old growth Merlot and Pond Block, where Cabernet Franc excels.

Rounding out the palette for blending is the plateau of vineyard known as North Fault Line, including three acres each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Adjacent is South Faultline, plated completely to Cabernet Sauvignon in two distinct sub-blocks each with unique rootstock and clonal selections. The dynamic nature of this vineyard allows Skipstone many components to work with in blending in order to create an outstanding bottling every year.

The Wines

2014 Oliver’s Blend
The concept with Oliver's Blend is that each year the varietal composition changes, highlighting the best possible blend to showcase their dynamic vineyard. Winemaker Philippe Melka combines a multitude of individual Cabernet lots to create the foundation of the blend, then looks to the other varietals we grow to embellish the core wine. Once again the Cabernet from their steepest hillsides was exceptional and as a result the wine highlights the Cab with some Merlot in the blend.

The 2015 Oliver's Blend once again is a tribute to the quality of Cabernet grown on the spectacular hillsides of the Skipstone amphitheater vineyard. Deep purple in color, the wine exhibits an intense and complex floral bouquet along with smoke, baking spices, griottes cherries, and juicy and unctuous red berry aromas. In the mouth the wine has silky, ripe tannins combined with a layered texture hitting every place on the palette then leading to a very long and soft finish.

Robert Parker says: 93 points
“The 2014 Oliver’s Blend is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (93% with 7% Merlot) aged in nearly three-fourths French oak for 18 months prior to being bottled. Loads of earthy, loamy soil notes intermixed with underbrush, blackcurrants, black cherries, tapenade and some subtle oak are present in this dense purple, full-bodied, muscular style of wine. Like most 2014s, it is already showing plenty of deliciousness and should continue to do so for at least another 15 or more years.”

2014 Faultline
This exciting Right Bank style wine from Skipstone beautifully demonstrates the unmatched potential that their estate vineyard offers in blending for complexity. On the nose the wine explodes with aromas of cinnamon, freshly crushed blueberries and cigar box. On the palette the wine opens with rich notes of juicy dark berry fruit and is layered with complex yet delicate nuances of dried herb and pencil shavings. The texture is smooth with well-balanced tannins coming from the Cabernet Franc that gives a nice grip and lengthens the finish. This wine is focused and fresh and shows good potential for aging, while being extremely pleasurable in its youth.

The Faultline Vineyard is perfectly situated on the floor of their 28 acre amphitheater shaped vineyard. These blocks lie directly on top of the Mayacama faultline that runs right through the middle of the vineyard and has given the site its unique shape and incredible soil diversity. The younger vines growing here benefit from a variety of soil types and different levels of stress and are thus demonstrating complexity well beyond their youth.

Robert Parker says: 92 points
“The 2014 Faultline Vineyard is 59% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Malbec. It seems slightly less profoundly concentrated than its older sibling, the 2013, but it is juicy, savory and front end-loaded, as so many 2014s are. The fruits tend to move toward the darker red personalities. The wine has some underbrush and forest floor notes along with a medium to full-bodied, succulent texture. Drink it over the next 10-15 years"

The Offer

2014 Oliver’s Blend - $135

2014 Faultline - $165

10% off any twelve Oliver’s Blend and Faultline - mix and match

Jeff McCarthy, Wine Director 
[email protected]
707.569.2906