2005 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five Spring Mountain

Cain Vineyard and Winery is not far from the Napa Valley floor, but philosophically and stylistically it's in a somewhat different place. Located in the Spring Mountain District, the vineyards grow on terraces sculpted around an east-facing amphitheater. Winemaker Chris Howell points out that there's a flower that grows up here, that imparts a distinct sweet aroma when the winds blow across the ridge...is that floral aroma also displayed in this still-evolving 2005 Cain "Five," a blend of five major Bordeaux varietals, with complex fruit, maple syrup and intriguing mint aromas. Meticulous winemaking goes into this wine, including: hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, and manual pressing. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, is blended early, is racked barrel-to-barrel, is egg-white fined, and is bottled without filtration.