Cabernet Franc
Napa Valley


Clos Pegase Napa Valley Cabernet Franc

Wine Stats


Vintage: 2007
Variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: 79% Mitsuko's Vineyard (Carneros)
21% Dunaweal Vineyard (Calistoga)
Soil: sandy clay-loam (Dunaweal Vineyard)
haire clay-loam (Mitsuko's Vineyard)
Harvest Date: October 3-16
Aging: 14 months in 19% new French oak, 81% neutral oak
Alcohol: 14.2%
T.A.: 5.60 g/L
pH: 3.72
Residual Sugar: 0.29 g/L
Bottled: March 2009
Cases: 1044
Optimum Drinking: 2009-2013


Tasting Notes

Fragrant aromas of red currants, cherries, and plums combine with toasty oak, pencil shavings, and a hint of smoke on the nose. On the palate, a medium weight wine with great vibrancy and lusciousness leaves the lingering flavor of chocolate-coated cherries.

Vineyard & Vintage Notes

Winter of 2007 gave us one the lowest rainfalls in the past decade, starting the vines off with limited reserves for the growing season. Budbreak occurred in mid- to late-March with flowering a brisk 8 weeks later. Our phenological timing was close to the "average" dates for the growth stages of budbreak, flowering and veraison. Vigor was restricted naturally by the low soil-moisture levels, which proved a boon for creating balanced canopies. Summer was marked by mild heat spikes, and the beginning of harvest saw temperatures hover near 100 in late August, starting us off with a flurry of activity. Yields were low to moderate, giving great concentration to the wines. Every wine is the sum of every individual weather event of the vintage, and the 2007 vintage is truly spectacular.

Winemaking Notes

To emphasize the ethereal fragrance of the variety, the two vineyard parcels were fermented with a combination of whole cluster and fully destemmed fruit. Pressing occurred within days of the wines completing the primary maceration in tank. Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel, and the wine received two rackings during the first year's elevage to aid in clarifying and building structure. The final blend was assembled in tank in January 2009, before bottling in March that year.

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