2004 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Concept The Benchland Napa Valley

The core of our Cain Concept—The Benchland is Cabernet Sauvignon from the classical “benchlands” of the Napa Valley.  These are the alluvial-fan benches that form at the foot of the mountains lining the edges of the valley floor.  We think that the Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the eastern and western benches of Oakville, Rutherford, and St. Helena have defined the greatness of the Napa Valley for more than 100 years.

   In the “Cain Way,” we blend small quantities of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot with Cabernet Sauvignon to build complexity, to add nuance, to articulate the structure, and to add length to the finish of the wine.  The Franc gives a bit of lift to the nose, and the Merlot gives a bit of fat to the entry and mid-palate, while the Verdot adds backbone to the blend.  We’re happy with our 2004 Concept, and we look forward to tasting it for many years to come. 

   The year 2004 was a refreshing change after the warm, almost hot years of 2002 and 2003.  We were able to wait patiently for the grapes to mature under almost perfect conditions.  The lower yields and moderate temperatures gave wines that are more dense and more tightly wound than those of 2002, 2003, or 2005.  While it drinks well now, the wine will certainly age extremely well.  The 2004 Concept is a rich, dark purple (not ruby).  It has a warm cherry-pie nose, and is fragrant, floral, and spicy.  A sweet, round entry is followed by smooth, flowing, very refined tannins—just enough to cleanse the palate.

   Our winemaking program is simple and similar for all our wines: hand picking, gentle destemming, native yeast fermentation, thoughtful maceration, and manual pressing.  The wines complete malolactic fermentation in the barrel, are blended in the spring following harvest, and are racked barrel to barrel. 

The 2004 Cain Concept—The Benchland was egg-white fined and bottled without filtration in June of 2006 following 21 months in French oak (75% new).

Varietal Content: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot

6011 cases produced