Description
Di Costanzo, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon “Caldwell Vineyard”
Are we excited about Di Costanzo!?! The answer is a resounding yes, and to prove it we’re following up this morning’s discovery with a very special bonus: An impeccably balanced, powerfully structured Cabernet from Caldwell Vineyard, the jewel of Coombsville. With 40 years of age, these Bordeaux-cutting vines sit at the southern edge of the AVA, where the nights are cooled by the San Pablo Bay. It’s the perfect raw material for Erin and Massimo’s vision of their wines as having direct lineage to the golden era of Napa, and this masterpiece of towering proportions hits the nail on the head. Not one aspect of this wine is out of balance, there are no extremes, no sharp edges, nothing is over the top in this harmonious song of fruit, savor, and structure. If you have a cellar full of wines that represent the world’s best combinations of producer and terroir, then you need to add a few bottles of Di Costanzo’s Caldwell vineyard. And if you don’t, this is the wine to start your collection!
In case you missed the story of Erin, Massimo, and Di Costanzo this morning, here it is: She is a certified sommelier, born and raised in Alaska, trained in all things wine while studying and working in New York, who then ascended to the position of Wine Director at PRESS in St. Helena, the heart of Napa’s wine country. He grew up in Berkeley and spent many youthful summers visiting his grandparents and extended family in Positano, Italy. Inspired by the overlapping traditions of wine and food in his ancestral homeland and that of Northern California, Massimo decided to become a winemaker. After graduating from U.C. Davis, Massimo spent several harvests abroad, including at Tignanello in Tuscany, before returning to Napa to begin his career. His talents landed him positions at some of the top wineries, including Ovid and Screaming Eagle, and it was during this time that he met Erin and their partnership in all things developed very quickly. Within a few weeks, they were harvesting their first parcel of Cabernet.
From the very beginning their philosophies onwine and winemaking were in perfect alignment: Select pristine fruit from excellent, sustainably farmed vineyards, then approach the cellar work with a very light touch. This means fermenting with natural yeasts, adding minimal amounts of SO2, bottling without fining or filtration, using new oak very judiciously, and generally eschewing any and all technical manipulations. The goal is to achieve a wine of balance, where the fruit, structure, and savory minerals are all in perfect harmony.
As it approaches five years of age, the 2019 Caldwell Vineyard is just starting to show its full kaleidoscope of aromatics. This is a wine built for the long haul, and will improve for at least another two decades, but you can definitely enjoy it now with a good hour plus decanting. Serve at cellar temperature, around 60-65 degrees, in a Bordeaux stem and prepare to follow the evolution of this beauty over a night or two. Intense aromas of wild raspberry, cassis, brambleberry, cedar, pine, cigar box, dark chocolate, crushed violets, mint, and forest floor all unfold slowly. The body is medium-full, with a rich, silky texture that is underpinned by firm tannins and a bolt of acidity that speaks to the long aging potential of this tour de force. It really is a stunning effort from Erin and Massimo, and of course it is quite limited, so be sure to grab a few bottles before they’re gone!
