Del Dotto 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Villa del Lago

From the panoramic western-facing slopes atop Pritchard Hill, our Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon exudes elegance, finesse, and balance. Combining the rocky volcanic soils and cooling effects of Lake Hennessey below, Pritchard Hill yields some of the most spectacular wines in the world. It presents lovely blueberry, cassis, and blackberry expressions, amaretto cookie, chocolate, and a beautiful floral impact. A powerful wine yet marked by elegance, it has consistently received 97 –100 point ratings from Robert Parker and should age beautifully for 10 – 25 years.

This beautiful Estate is home to our sister winery located in an area well known as Pritchard Hill. This 20 acre vineyard is one of our top flagship Cabernet Sauvignons in our portfolio of wines.

If you are familiar with The Beast Cabernet Sauvignon the Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon is its rival. It is slightly softer than The Beast which is why we refer to this delicious wine as “The Beauty”.  This wine is incredibly concentrated but compared to the Beast would be described as more feminine and fruit forward. This vineyard produces wines that are elegant but have a massive mouth feel and show the concentration of a true pedigreed, world class Cabernet. The fact that the wine can be drank now or for the next 20+ years is truly the “Del Dotto” style created by the philosophies of the family.

Appellation : Grapes grown on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley
Acreage : 20 Acres planted in two blocks
Geological Situation : Vineyards face West, with cool evenings affected by Lake Hennessey
Soil : Rocky-Clay-Loam on both upper and lower slopes
Grape Varietals : 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with average age of vines 20 years
Vine-Growing Techniques : Organic farming practices. Ground seeded with cover crop and mowed in Spring. Green harvest in early June followed by bunch thinning and de-leafing in September. Manual picking
Reception : Sorting of grapes before and after de-stemming. Only whole berries are put in tanks.
Maceration : Five day initial cold soak for more flavor development. Seven to ten day fermentation. Wine is pumped over twice daily using a sprinkler system.
Barrel Transfer : Wine is drained off skins at finish of fermentation. Only free-run is put in barrels. Barrels are 100% new French Oak.
Aging : 18-24 months