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2013 Founders’ Reserve

2013 Founders’ Reserve

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“The Founders’ Reserve provides our loyal customers with a peek behind the curtain at Seavey. Each year, we have special wine lots that, because of their small size, are known only to us in house. The opportunity to honor Bill and Mary was the impetus to make the extra efforts to capture this very limited and unique wine, and we are proud to continue to honor them with this 99-point stunner!” – Jim Duane, Winemaker 

Tasting Notes

A handcrafted estate reserve wine, the Founders’ Reserve is a tribute to Seavey’s original founders, William and Mary Seavey, honoring their steadfast love of the land and their dedication to creating masterful wines with a sense of place. Taste the essence of our steep hillside vineyards, the history of our land, and the passion of our family for making age-worthy Cabernets. It is a particular privilege to honor William and Mary with the 99-point rating achieved by this Founders’ Reserve vintage.

Ratings

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2015) – 99 points
“A tiny cuvée of three barrels was culled out, made from 98.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Petit Verdot, that no doubt represented the most concentrated material in the cellar. It will be released as the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon William and Mary Founders’ Reserve is an homage to the Seaveys, who faithfully replanted and produced wines starting in 1979. This is terrific stuff, but obviously very limited in availability. Take everything in the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate and ratchet it up, including the level of extract, power, richness, concentration and potential longevity, and you’ll understand what this wine is all about. It should drink well for 50 or more years.”

 

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Oct. 2015) – 97 points
“The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon William and Mary Founders’ Reserve, the estate’s top barrel selection, is thrilling from the very first taste. Deep, powerful and concentrated, the 2013 boasts superb intensity and richness in all dimensions. Game, smoke, scorched earth and licorice add shades of nuance to the dark fruit in an imposing, powerful Cabernet that will take a number of years to deliver its finest drinking. What a gorgeous wine this is.”

Vineyard Notes

A handcrafted estate reserve wine, the 2013 Founders’ Reserve was sourced from five of the oldest Cabernet blocks on the estate. The majority of the wine comes from Block 10, which is situated on a gentle south-facing slope. The other components come from Block 3’s clay-rich plateau and the steeply terraced blocks where our oldest Cabernet vines are situated (their planting dates to 1983).

Production Notes

This 75-case lot has been highly distinctive from the beginning, showing extraordinary layers of flavor, deep, complex concentration, and majestic textural elegance. A profoundly rewarding wine, we held the 2013 Reserve back for extra cellar aging before its release in May 2017. Its future, however, will be an intrepid one, arcing over at least four decades.

Appellation
Napa Valley
Blend
98.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Petit Verdot
Production
75 Cases
Barrels
100% French Oak (60% new)
Cellaring
2023 - 2063
Alcohol %
14.8
Winemaking Team
Jim Duane & Philippe Melka

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