2004 Sloan

Stewart Sloan's spectactular property in the hills on the eastern side of Napa Valley, above the Auberge du Soleil, features 12 acres of vines mostly planted on light, porous rock formed by the consolidation of volcanic ash. The vineyards feature about 82% cabernet sauvignon and 11% merlot, plus 6% cabernet franc and a smidgeon of petit verdot. Mark Aubert vinified the winery's first crop in 2000 (the vines were planted in 1997), with Martha McClellan taking over in time to vinify the 2001 and make the final blend of the 2000. Winemaker McClellan, who uses mostly new Taransaud barrels along with a bit of Sylvain, describes the Sloan style as "finesse-driven wines but with power. They're more feminine and charming than the wines from Harlan Estate" (McClellan's husband Bob Levy is winemaker at Harlan Estate, and the pair have recently introduced their own Levy-McClellan wine from a vineyard in Calistoga). The alcohol level of the Sloan wine is typically around 15%, adds McClellan, and pHs are 3.8 to 3.9 with "very little acidification." Vinification features 45 to 60 days of maceration, and McClellan does minimal rackings (typically just two prior to the bottling the second August). At the time of my tasting, the 2003 was just being released; the 2004 had been bottled later than usual, in January of this year.