1994 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Anniversary Release Howell Mountain California USA Wine Tasting Note

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1994
96
This tastes like it's only 10 years of age, not on its way to 25! Deeply colored, with concentration, intensity, richness and at least what must be a bushel of blackberries, this is just stunning! The powerful, fruit filled finish sticks with you.

This tastes like it's only 10 years of age, not on its way to 25! Deeply colored, with concentration, intensity, richness and at least what must be a bushel of blackberries, this is just stunning! The powerful, fruit filled finish sticks with you.

2,817 Views   Tasted
With scents of earth, spice, black and blue fruits, this full bodied, concentrated, lush, dense, powerful wine is packed with layers of ripe, dark berries. Structured to age, with some tannin to resolve, this will continue to age and develop. This is the best wine from the Helene Turley era at La Jota. More importantly, this could be the best kept secret for a great California Cabernet Sauvignon wine as it sells for a song, compared to the high scoring wines of the vintage.

With scents of earth, spice, black and blue fruits, this full bodied, concentrated, lush, dense, powerful wine is packed with layers of ripe, dark berries. Structured to age, with some tannin to resolve, this will continue to age and develop. This is the best wine from the Helene Turley era at La Jota. More importantly, this could be the best kept secret for a great California Cabernet Sauvignon wine as it sells for a song, compared to the high scoring wines of the vintage.

2,868 Views   Tasted
Still deep colored with no signs of aging. The nose is filled with cassis , toasty oak and spices. This is packed and stacked with layers of ripe mountain fruit. With all its concentration it remains well balanced. This is still not fully mature. The long black fruit filled finish is fresh and pure.

Still deep colored with no signs of aging. The nose is filled with cassis , toasty oak and spices. This is packed and stacked with layers of ripe mountain fruit. With all its concentration it remains well balanced. This is still not fully mature. The long black fruit filled finish is fresh and pure.

3,616 Views   Tasted

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Everything about La Jota Vineyard Company Napa Valley California Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines

La Jota Winery History, Overview

La Jota has one of the older histories in the Napa Valley. In its formative years, the property was owned by George C Yount. The land was part of a grant given to Yount by the Mexican Government. The estate was known as Rancho La Jota in those days, which as you can see, is there the name comes from.

The vineyard was cultivated in the 1890's by the new owner, Frederick Hess. At the time, it was part of a much larger 327 acre estate. The small, original, stone winery was built in 1898. La Vineyards was abandoned following prohibition and the vineyards were allowed to go fallow.

That changed in the 1970's when the property was purchased by W.H Smith, who once again, cultivated the vineyards. The style of wine being produced at La Jota was quite rustic, during the 1980's. That changed when La Jota brought in Helen Turley, (who founded Marcassin) as their winemaker.

From that point forward, they could do not wrong. The wines produced at La Jota during the 1990's are stunning, especially the La Jota Vineyard Anniversary Reserve wines. The 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 remain some of the finest examples of mountain grown fruit produced at the time.

La Jota Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Situated on Howell Mountain, at elevations over 1,500 feet, the vineyards are above the fog line, giving them a special micro-climate. The terroir is stones, rocks, volcanic material and red clay. All of their vineyards are farmed using self-sustaining farming techniques.

La Jota Vineyards owns 28.05 acres of vines that are planted to 20.58 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.24 acres of Merlot, 2.88 acres of Cabernet Franc and 1.35 acres of Petit Verdot. The vines are planted in 3 separate vineyards that are further divided into 16 different parcels.

La Jota Meadow Vineyard 17 acres planted between 1993 to 2007.

La Jota Vineyard Hill Vineyard 9 acres of vines planted between 1978 and 2007.

La Jota Block Vineyard 1.89 acres planted to 100% Cabernet Franc in 1976.

Today, La Jota Vineyards produces 4 wines.

La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot

La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc

La Jota W.S. KEYES Merlot

Over the years, La Jota Vineyards has produced a myriad of wines, including a Petit Sirah, Viognier and Chardonnay, neither of which are in production today. They stopped producing their Anniversary Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with the 2004 vintage,

Serving and Decanting La Jota with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

La Jota is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages can be decanted for 1-3 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. La Jota is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. La Jota is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.

www.lajotavineyardco.com