Clare Luce Abbey Estate Wine: Return Home

Our vineyards are ideally situated in the hills of Napa Valley for the cultivation of a superior Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the practice of Clare Luce Abbey Estate to exclusively use this variety in our 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Clare Luce Abbey Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Purchased in 1991, Clare Luce Abbey Estate is located on a western slope just north of St. Helena. Following the advice of Andre Tchelistcheff, who visited the property on several occasions, the 8.5 acre mountainside vineyard, is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon on rootstock 1-10R and clone 7. The vineyard is closely spaced at 4 x 6 and we have adopted the farming method of famed French botanist, Jules Guyot, called Guyot Simple Single. Regular cluster profiling is done throughout the growing season, keeping an average of only 7 to 9 clusters per vine, thus keeping a low yield of two tons per acre. Our winemaker is Gerry Rowland and the wine is made at our neighbor’s state-of-the-art winery, Vineyard 29. New French oak barrels are used with every vintage.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes on '03: Dark, inky color, luscious wild blackberries, cassis, coffee beans, dark cherries with hints of cocoa powder, clove and black currants, a long finish.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes on '04: Ripe bing cherries, violets, cedar and vanilla aromas. On tasting, it is like homemade jam, black cherry and plum with coffee bean and white pepper spice. The rounded tannins give the mouth feel a silky texture. The 2004 is a very elegant wine.

2003 Vintage	2004 Vintage
8.5 mountainside acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon 1-10R rootstock, clone 7 300 cases annually Cluster profiling Guyot Simple Single low yield farming method 24 months in oak Custom crush at Vineyard 29 Winery Winemaker: Gerry Rowland Owners: Clare Luce Abbey and Clifford L. Abbey	8.5 mountainside acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon 1-10R rootstock, clone 7 300 cases annually Cluster profiling Guyot Simple Single low yield farming method 24 months in oak Custom crush at Vineyard 29 Winery Winemaker: Gerry Rowland Owners: Clare Luce Abbey and Clifford L. Abbey

Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible and host of the PBS series “Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil” has this to say:

Clare Luce Abbey Estate 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon: "A massively structured Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of pie berries, cocoa, espresso minerals and dark chocolate. The ripe fruit character is nicely framed by just a touch of acidity which gives the wine definition and precision. Best of all, the texture is extremely plush—something akin to crushed velvet—and the finish is long, sustained and satisfying. Think, a roast of meat or a seared sirloin."

Clare Luce Abbey Estate 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon: “Possibly the finest vintage from this estate, the Clare Luce Abbey Estate Cabernet Sauvignon possesses perfect balance between enveloping softness and majestic fine tannin. The aromas --- tobacco, graphite, spice and blackberry --- are already complex for such a young wine. The dense, rich berry flavors are hedonistic to say the least, but above all, it’s the voluminous, velvety suppleness of the wine that is so instantly captivating. Drink it now or cellar it for a decade or more.”

Karen MacNeil
Author, The Wine Bible

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