Odette Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Although production is limited, the quality remains extremely high with qualities of enhanced fruit purity, depth and concentration.
- The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from five separate blocks on Odette’s 45-acre Estate in the heart of the Stags Leap AVA.
- There was a total of 27 passes across the 32 producing acres over a two week span, enabling each micro block to be captured at optimal ripeness.
Varietal Composition: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot.
Elaboration: Fermentation took place in small 1-2 ton fully jacketed stainless steel fermenters after a 48 hour cold soak at 40ºF. Maceration lasted 8-10 days at a maximum temperature of 95ºF. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel and finished up in late winter. The blend was crafted in the early spring of 2016 and allowed to marry together over the next 17 months. The wine was aged in 100% new French Oak for 22 months.
Tasting Notes: Loads of blackberries, black currants, blueberry pie, plums, anise, incense and crushed rocks. This full bodied wine boasts remarkable ripeness, concentration, purity and decadence, finishing with firm, velvety tannins and a long layered finish.
PRESS
2014 – 98+ Wine Advocate
2015 – 98 Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ Wine Advocate
2016 – 95 Wine Spectator | 99 Jeb Dunnuck | 100 Wine Advocate
2017 – 94 Wine Spectator | 94 Vinous | 94 Wine Advocate | 95 Jeb Dunnuck
2018 – 94 Wine Spectator | 97 Vinous
2019 – 98 Vinous
2021 – 97 Jeb Dunnuck | 95 Vinous
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The 45-acre estate, originally purchased by the Steltzner family in 1964 – was tucked into the dramatic palisades of the Stags Leap District, just east of Silverado Trail. After purchasing the property, Richard and Christine Steltzner converted the open land to vineyards in 1970 and sold the grapes on property through their own vineyard management company. The Steltzner vineyard was the second in the district planted to Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, following one planted in the 1960s by Nathan Fay, now owned by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.
It wasn’t until 1977 that the Steltzner’s realized the potential of their Stags Leap District property and decided to make their own wine. In 2012, After three decades of improvements and increased production, the Steltzner’s sold the winery and surrounding vineyards to Gavin Newsom, Gordon Getty and John Conover, making the trio just the second owners to farm the vineyard.
In the fall of that year, the caves would be updated and retrofitted and the vineyards re-planted and converted to 100 percent organic farming. Like CADE Estate, the new winery at Odette Estate would be built to achieve LEED Gold certification. Both achievements would be recognized in 2017, with Odette Estate Winery earning Gold LEED certification for the winery and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) for the vineyards. The small, state-of-the-art winery building, would become one of just a handful of wineries to feature a living green roof, planted to grasses and plants. In addition to the vegetation, the roof also contains 2,500 square feet of solar panels.
Odette Estate, like PlumpJack and CADE Estate Wineries, was given its name from Shakespeare and other historical works. Odette was a pivotal character, penned by Shakespeare and Proust, and also in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake. In the wine world, Odette was the name of one of the French judges at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 when a red wine from Stags Leap District beat out the French competition to take top honors.
Today, winemaker Jeff Owens and his winemaking team continue to produce awarding-winning Cabernet Sauvignons from the Stags Leap District estate vineyard that encapsulate the inspiration for the property – combining power and elegance, while simultaneously showcasing the unique properties of the AVA.