2008 Delectus Cuvee Julia, 1.5ltr

Delectus is owned by Linda and Gerhard Reisacher, who began making wines in 1995 from sourced grapes in the Napa Valley. Linda had worked in the wine industry as a glass supplier and Gerhard, who grew up in Austria, is an eighth- generation winemaker. In Napa he worked for Monticello, Far Niente, Pine Ridge and Clos du Val before starting his own winery. In 2005 the couple bought 112 acres overlooking Knights Valley. Some 40 acres were planted. Delectus produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and several blends.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,