Arborum Wines Hidden Key Vineyard Proprietary Red Napa Valley 2022

While much of Napa Valley has been modernized these days with vineyards and wineries dotting the valley floor and hillsides, there are still a few more remote, often mountainous areas where one can "step back in time" and witness the pastoral environment of bygone years. For some vintners, these rugged and historic parcels are the ideal blank slate to establish their estates, as was the case for Nick and Caren Orum of Arborum wines. In discovering their property in 2013, the two envisioned weaving vineyard plantings into the natural landscape of Spring Mountain and embracing the raw nature surrounding them. Caren and Nick are grateful for the gift provided by their land, the final wine in bottle, and we're pleased to share the 2022 Proprietary Red with our Apexers.

Nick and Caren's love affair with Napa Valley started in 1999 when the couple purchased a Calistoga cottage for weekend respite from their San Francisco investment banking careers. The home provided welcomed rest from their busy city lives in a place awash with natural beauty. From 1999 to 2013, fascination and passion for winemaking and grape growing grew alongside a dream to establish an estate. Nick and Caren hoped to be a part of the whole life cycle from growing to crafting and investing the proceeds into the Napa community. When they discovered their property on Spring Mountain, they were awed by the rugged and bracing nature and the land's winegrowing history dating back to the 1870s. The couple views themselves as the "latest chapter" in the ongoing story of the property and spent eight years cultivating the vineyard and olive grove before their first grape harvest in 2021.

Their 2.5-acre estate vineyard lies 500-800 feet in elevation on Spring Mountain's east-facing slopes. Tucked among the forest, each block terraces up the steep terrain, presenting unique topography and soil types as the vineyard moves up the mountain, almost enveloping further into the forest. Oscar Renteria and his team planted these Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 2019 and continue to manage the vineyard today. Organic farming and sustainability are at the top of the Arborum team's mind, and all vines are tended by hand, from pruning to mowing to seeding pollinator-friendly plants between rows. The precision stewardship exercised by Oscar's team helps the vines express the vineyard's nuanced fruit.

Nick and Caren tapped Andy Erickson, a man who needs little introduction, to lead the winemaking for Arborum. Andy's extensive experience in the valley is a laundry list of the crème de la crème of producers like Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Dalla Valle, Staglin, and many others. He sets himself apart from other winemakers by being as hands-on as possible, visiting and walking the Arborum vineyard weekly to watch the vines as they cycle through the seasons. He says, "Our close collaboration with the vineyard team pays off in spades when it comes to harvest. It gives us vital information we need during winemaking and is key to our process. It helps the site show itself."

The 2022 Proprietary Red blends 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc. Andy fermented the blend in French oak barrels, of which 61% were new. Aging extended over 26 months in barrel before bottling the 408 cases. "Full of energy, the resulting wine presents excellent structure, mouth-watering intensity, and a surprising brightness that belies the dark black-red color in the glass. Aromas of black cherry, graphite, orange peel, and leather jump out as the wine is poured. On the palate, the wine is balanced and expansive; the acidity adds a cool sensation, and ample tannin holds the wine firmly together." ~Arborum Tasting Notes