2015 Au Sommet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

From The First Lady of Wine

High atop Atlas Peak, the vineyards of Au Sommet literally sit among the clouds. While “Au Sommet” means “at the top,” the name truly serves a dual purpose: it not only references the extreme altitude of the vineyard at 2,100 feet, it is a simile for the pinnacle of Napa Cabernet. At the helm, is winemaker Heidi Barrett, the first winemaker for Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle — a woman famously dubbed the “Queen of Cult Cabernet” by Robert M. Parker Jr. Calling the 2015 Au Sommet Cabernet Sauvignon “superb, nuanced, polished, and super-delicious,” Antonio Galloni pinned on 95 points. But forget the points, and listen: I fell in love from the first sip, and so will you, as the wine’s intensity builds, peeling away layers of black cherry notes, exotic spices, graphite, and seductively supple and fine-grained tannins. For the first time ever, I am thrilled to offer Au Sommet on this first-to-market, brilliant vintage release. $250 per bottle and just 300 bottles available. Purchase your allocation now — any hesitation and you’ll regret it.

The 2015 Au Sommet embodies what I love about Cabernet Sauvignon when grown in special sites and cared for with such experienced hands. With a core of black fruits and savory herbs, it shows the freshness of the altitude but also richness and density, with a long and opulent finish. This wine is one to put in your cellar, or if you open it soon, be sure to share it with those who truly appreciate excellence.

The incredible quality of this wine is understandable when you read Heidi Barrett’s biography.  Like many aspiring winemakers, she earned her degree at UC Davis. Barrett honed her skills at Silver Oak and Franciscan, before her first job as head winemaker at Buehler. But it was after becoming an independent winemaker that she made her mark.

Barrett was the first winemaker for the legendary properties of Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle — earning multiple 100-point scores from Robert Parker for both wineries. These days, she makes wine for a “who’s who” of Napa wineries, including Kenzo, Paradigm, La Sirena, Barrett and Barrett, and of course Au Sommet where she partners with Vintner John Schwartz and Vineyard Manager Jim Barbour.

Visiting the stratospheric Au Sommet vineyards at the top of Atlas Peak means driving and driving — until the road actually ends. Traveling up to visit, I wished many times that I had printed out the directions rather than relying on “Siri,” who instructed me several times to drive into creek beds and horse pastures, before I lost the signal completely.

Making my way up the mountain, I drove above the thick layer of Pacific Ocean fog blanketing the valley floor and emerged into brilliant sunlight. I passed legendary Kongsgaard and then turned onto the Au Sommet driveway. In front of me was one of most breathtaking properties I’d ever visited, with panoramic views all the way south to San Francisco and east to Lake Tahoe, and goats roaming among the vines. This altitude provides the kind of diurnal shift that yields ripe concentrated berries, teeming with freshness. Within the property there are three different blocks for Cabernet Sauvignon and one block for Petit Verdot, all of which Heidi vinifies separately and then blends for complexity. Some are hillside and some more in a lower pocket, but all are organically farmed and fitted with mobile chicken coops that can be moved along the rows as the chickens graze and fertilize the soil.

Speaking to Heidi about her winemaking is a refreshing breath of humility and pragmatism. There is no formula. Vineyard manager Jim Barbour is one of the top in the industry, and the duo is one of the most experienced in the industry. In the winery, Heidi says she takes what each individual vintage provides and then works with it to fine tune it according to its unique personality. The one factor that Heidi says stays the same from vintage to vintage working with Au Sommet is that it is “always beautiful, and always a delight.”  Click here to access your allocation.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Conlin DipWSET

Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma

Stage 2 Master of Wine Studen