Terra Valentine

2015 'Amore' Red Wine Napa Valley, CA
Availablity

Out of stock

Price:
$50.00
Availablity

Out of stock

Appearance medium garnet
Aromas blueberry, strawberry, dried cherry, vanilla, cigar box, wet leaves, faint aromas of herbal tomato sauce, rose petal
Palate red cherry, clove, spice, English Breakfast tea, balanced with silky tannins, balanced acidity and medium body
Food Pairing Suggestions
This Sangiovese will pair well with rare steaks, duck, lamb, or hearty stews. Try with rich chicken or mushroom dishes and pastas with tomato-based sauces.
Composition

Clonal Selections: 89% Sangiovese Grosso, 11% Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon

Production
450 cases
Alcohol
14.9%
Vineyard
Antinori Vineyard (Atlas Peak AVA), Wurtele Vineyard (Spring Mountain District AVA)
About The Vineyard

Terra Valentine sources from Spring Mountain whose varied terrain shines through in the robust yet balanced style of the wines–exhibiting the true essence of the Spring Mountain District. While mountain viticulture presents its challenges, for Terra Valentine, it comes down to hand-tending the vines to get the most out of the diverse soil types and ripening patterns that the mountain bears. The reward–wines ripe with intense flavor and color.


The 30-acre Wurtele Vineyard planted in 1990 by Raymond family was purchased by Angus and Margaret Wurtele in 1995. The vineyard, which sits at elevations between 600 to 1000 feet, exudes variations of slope, aspect, and soil. Much like a compass rose, the vineyard is comprised of multiple exposure points that span a full 360 degrees around a central knoll. Though planted exclusively to clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon, these exposures yield variety in vine orientation and tannin intensity, all of which lend to the unique characteristics of the wine.


Antica Napa Valley is a breathtaking estate set high in the eastern mountains of the Napa Valley. Located in the remote Atlas Peak District, the 550-acre estate produces only small lots of wines, a testament to the discipline and care of the Antinori Family. Its hilly terrain, rocky soils, high elevations and beautiful landscape create above all an estate ideal for winegrowing.


 


Winemaker Notes

The 2015 vintage began in late winter due to unseasonably warm temperatures leading to an early bud break, and thus an elongated growing season. Overall yields were lighter than average with smaller cluster and berry size as a result of cooler temperatures during bloom and the third consecutive year of drought. The resultant wines show increased concentration of flavors with wonderful balance and round textures.


Hand-harvested, picked at night. Gently de-stemmed and whole berries transferred to stainless steel. Cold soaked for 48 hours. Inoculated with D254 yeast and fermented for 21 days on the skins. Free run juice drained from tank, settled for 24 hours then racked to barrel

Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 66% new (Coopers: Nadalie, Orion and Ermitage)


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Proprietor/Winemaker

Sam Baxter

About the Winemaker

Sam Baxter quite literally grew up among the grapevines in Saint Helena, most often found just a few small steps behind his father, Phil, a legendary winemaker starting in the late 1960s in the Napa Valley. Sam began working in wineries as a young teenager and began learning the art of blending from his father at the age of 16.

After graduating from the University of California in Davis with a degree in Fermentation Science in 1998, Sam worked abroad in Australia before returning to his hometown.  He started as Cellarmaster at Terra Valentine Winery at its inception in 1999 under his consulting winemaker father, where the father-son team began the transformation of the ghost winery property into a world class vineyard estate on Spring Mountain.

As Winemaker and General Manager for over a decade, Sam built the Terra Valentine brand into a nationally recognized wine company specializing in mountain wines from their Spring Mountain estates.  In 2014, as the founders of Terra Valentine exited the business, Sam negotiated the acquisition of the company that he had worked his entire early career to build. At the same time, he and his wife Angela founded Foretell Wines to showcase his reserve-selected barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

In 2015 Sam and Angela forged the path for the future of their wine business by acquiring a 112 acre ranch at 2300 feet elevation at the very summit of Spring Mountain where he is developing new vineyards and a winery and tasting room to carry on the legacy of Terra Valentine Winery and Foretell Wines.

Sam’s wines over the last 20 years reflect a classic Napa Valley winemaking style where elegance and balance allow the purity of the fruit, the distinct character of the vineyards, and the mountain intensity to come through in the wine.

About the Winery
Terra Valentine
The legacy of Terra Valentine’s wine program is a remarkable journey for not only the winery, but for the Baxter family as well. Phil Baxter graced these vineyards and put his fingerprint on the exquisite wines from the famed Spring Mountain AVA. In 2002 Sam Baxter took the helm from his father leading the fine wines of Terra Valentine to achieve a cult like status.
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