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- Blend82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc
- CountryUnited States
- RegionCalifornia
- Alcohol14.1%
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Gallica G Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022
- Vintage2022
- VarietyCabernet Sauvignon
- AppellationNapa Valley
- WinemakerRosemary Cakebread
While Napa has been known for big, bold, and opulent Cabernets since the early 1990s, many small, under-the-radar producers favor the lower alcohol, higher acid style of Napa’s earlier days in the 1960s and 1970s. One such winemaker is Rosemary Cakebread, who has been crafting wines in the valley for over four decades. Her winemaking and wine-selling approach isn’t showy, with no formal tasting room and a focus on producing restrained wines from organically farmed vineyards. Rosemary started the Gallica brand in 2007 after a sabbatical in France, working with master blender Michel Rolland. After years of crafting single-vineyard Cabernets and other varietals since 2007, she has created “G” to explore approachable and ready-to-drink Cabernet Sauvignon.
Rosemary graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Viticulture and Enology in 1969 and moved to Napa Valley along with many classmates and contemporaries, including winemakers such as Heidi Barrett, John Kongsgaard, and Lee Hudson. She joined the team at Inglenook Estate to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and then moved to Mumm when it was just getting started. At the time, they were building the winery, and founding winemaker Guy Devaux ran the show. Rosemary clocks Guy as an impactful mentor for her career who taught her the importance of blending for nuance, balance, and aromatics. She appreciated witnessing a winery’s creation from the ground up and learning on her feet. From Mumm, she went to Spottswoode, where she led the winemaking team from 1997 to 2005 and remained as a consultant until 2012. It was at Spottswoode that she cemented her approach of spending equal time in the vineyard as she does in the cellar. Rosemary continued this tradition when starting Gallica (named after a European rose species), committing first and foremost to her fruit sources and being present among the vines as they cycle through the seasons. All properties she works with utilize organic practices, which she believes allow the site and vintage to shine through to the wines. A light hand and exercising restraint give forth wines of distinct character.
Gallica’s “G” was crafted for immediate enjoyment, and this inaugural release blends 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with 18% Cabernet Franc from a few of Rosemary’s secret vineyard sources throughout the valley. Unusual to most Cabernet Franc fermentations, Rosemary opted to let the grapes undergo a whole-cluster carbonic maceration. Carbonic maceration is often used with lighter-bodied red grapes to produce fruitier profiles in wine, but it can also assist with softening harsh tannins. Rosemary placed whole grape bunches in a sealed vessel with carbon dioxide, and rather than fermenting from the presence of yeast, the berries began fermentation from the inside out, using the CO2 to break down sugars and acid. Eventually, the grapes burst, releasing juice and continuing into a native, traditional yeast fermentation. The result is a more delicate, lower-alcohol, and brightly vibrant Cabernet Franc. After blending, the final wine was aged in a combination of oak and stainless steel barrels before being bottled. Rosemary says, “This bottling is fresh, youthful, and inviting. We find notes of oak lichen, blood orange, and even tender rose petals.”
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- Blend82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc
- CountryUnited States
- RegionCalifornia
- Alcohol14.1%
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