A true five-varietal Bordeaux blend is hard to find anywhere in the world. But lucky for us, we’ve been able to source all five across the Napa Valley to produce one of our flagship wines. From the mountain tops of Atlas Peak to the gravelly soils of St. Helena and everywhere in between, the resulting blend elicits a dialectic found on the label: a butterfly may be delicate and elegant while the hands of a farmer are anything but. Similarly, the sensory introduction to Papillon is overwhelming and breathtaking; yet, as the wine opens, it transforms slowly into a wine of elegance and opulence in one. It is truly the epitome of our style of winemaking.
The 2019 Papillon pours a neon crimson and settles into a dark core with a ruby rim—crimson through and through.
Nose: Aromatically, the wine opens with powerful notes of blackberry, kirsch, coastal sagebrush and evolves into ripe pluot and roasted fig.
Palate: An enveloping entry of grandeur, the palate reveals a more elegant side of the wine: black plum, blackcurrant, toffee and trace hints of sweet red vermouth, muddled mint, and orange peel. Polished, balanced and with an imagined sweetness, the wine closes with ripe but firm tannin and a mild drying character, capable of converting even the staunchest of Bordeaux-philes.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot
Aged 13 months in French oak, 47% new
“Fruit fans will dig this for its open and inviting display of açaí berry, plum sauce and warmed cassis aromas and flavors, all laced with melted black licorice and given a light mocha cloak on the broad, polished finish. A subtle savory tobacco element in the background adds a counterpoint, but this is aimed squarely at the hedonist crowd. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.” – 93 points, James Molesworth, Senior Editor and Special Project Director at Wine Spectator
