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The most underrated great Cabernet produced in Napa Valley....with perhaps the best second label wine in Napa, the Caravina Cabernet…keep in mind I have Seaveys going back to 1990 in my cellar.” - Robert Parker, Wine Critic, The Wine Advocate, Dec 2008. 2007 Seavey Cabernet [RP: 96+ Points] 2005 Seavey Cabernet [RP: 95+] 2003 Seavey Cabernet [RP: 96] 1997 Seavey Cabernet [RP: 96] 1991 Seavey Cabernet [RP: 97] In the early 1870’s, the Franco-Swiss Farming Co. was established along a lovely stream, which flowed down the center of Conn Valley, an eastern spur of the Napa Valley. Grapes were grown on the South facing hillsides, and a stone winery and distillery building were built next to the wagon trail that is now Conn Valley Road. A handsome stone dairy barn was constructed in 1881, the same year that the stone foundations were laid for the bridge across Conn Creek. Those foundations today continue to support the bridge across Conn Creek. In 1979, after a long period as a horse and cattle ranch, the original acres east of Conn Creek were purchased by William and Mary Seavey. William Seavey, a native Californian, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Coronado. He went East to Princeton and Harvard Law School, when he met his wife, Mary, who was at Radcliffe. They lived in Coronado, CA and Geneva, Switzerland before moving to the Bay Area in 1968. The 4 Seavey sons spent high school and college vacations working at the vineyard, and the Seavey daughter and her 2 daughters came out from Boston to help from time to time. The Seavey’s began planting their 40 acre vineyard in 1981 under the management of Roy Raymond, Jr., and Raymond Vineyards bought all the grapes until 1990, when the Seavey’s made the first vintage of their own Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. In 1994, they produced the first vintage of their Merlot, and in 1999, added a second Cabernet, the Caravina. All of these wines are estate produced at Seavey Vineyard. The vineyard consists of more than 20 small, primarily southeast facing hillside blocks and has a 400 foot vertical rise. Rootstock and clone are selected to maximize the potential of each individual block, and trellising and pruning are adapted accordingly. Vineyard manager Mario Gutierrez' 26+ year association with Seavey vineyard allows him to understand the needs of each vine. Since the inaugural 1990 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, all Seavey Vineyard grapes are used exclusively for our estate produced wines. In addition to grapes, the Seavey’s raise a small number of beef cattle, whose primary function is to keep the grass down on the 200 acre property. They also provide a welcome source of organic beef for family and friends. The same high level of care given in the vineyard continues at harvest and in the winemaking process. Grapes are handpicked at the prime level of ripeness and richness and transported to the winery in the baskets within 30 minutes of picking. The red grapes are hand sorted and destemmed before being gently lifted into small tanks for fermentation. The wine then ages for 18 to 19 months in French oak barrels, 35-50% new, until it is bottled on site. Only then does it leave the property.
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