Viader Vineyards & Winery
Block B7
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Auction 25 | Lot No. 138
Vintage: 2019
Viader Vineyards & Winery
Block B7
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
10 cases produced
Highlights
- Block B7 produces some of the highest quality fruit and makes its way into our top-tier blends each year
- Skin contact was extended over 14 months and the wine is aging in a 500-liter French oak barrel
- Grown in rocky, red volcanic soils, the fruit delivered an elevated concentration paired with finesse
- Mother-and-son winemaking team has a combined expertise of 50 years
Description
This was a small hand-selected group of vines separated at harvest from the rest of the lot. Clusters were destemmed and the fruit was placed directly into a new Sylvain French oak 500L fermenter barrel. The remainder of the block went to tank and formed a main component in the VIADER blend. Historically, this is our top CS block off the estate, always making its way into the final VIADER blend. These grapes received gentle punchdowns and were gently stirred by hand. Alan took a unique approach and left the skins in contact with the wine for 14 months, in the same fermenter.
Wine Facts
- Single vineyard wine
- Sustainably produced
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
- Wine is produced in a Napa Green winery
Alan Viader
Winemaker, Viader Vineyards & Winery
Alan spent his childhood on his family’s vineyard estate on Howell Mountain. His early education in wine and formal schooling helped shape his respect for terroir-driven wines, organic farming, and diverse viticultural practices from around the world.
He started working in the family vineyards at the age of nine and continued to help throughout his childhood, including working as cellarhand in the caves at Viader. After high school, he pursued his passion for grape growing with a hands-on program in Sonoma where he received a degree in Viticulture Management.
In 2002, Alan officially stepped in as Vineyard Manager for Viader in 2002, while simultaneously continuing his education at UC Davis, where he learned the fundamentals in winemaking. In 2005, Alan worked a harvest at Achavel-Ferrer winery in Mendoza, Argentina, which convinced him that winemaking was his calling. Alan officially stepped in as lead winemaker for Viader in 2006. Today, he continues to oversee vineyard management operations while working in all areas of wine production together with his mother, Delia at Viader.
An avid adventurer and seasoned traveler, Alan continues to visit the world’s best wine producers and wine growing regions throughout Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. In 2013, he went to the University of Sciences Agro to study viticulture in Bordeaux, France.
A hands-on experimentalist and eternal student of the vine, Alan has been at the forefront of trialing and adopting the right combination of organic, biodynamic and sustainable practices, not to mention new technology integrations that optimally benefit the quality of Viader wines. In the cellar, Alan has been equally fervent about delivering better quality results, experimenting with different blends, yeasts, fermentations, barreling, etc., always open to new ideas, trials and opportunities to responsibly deliver improved quality wines.
Alan is married to Mariela, his Guatemalan sweetheart and dedicated mother to their three children. He loves grilling, hiking, camping and riding Enduro motorcycles throughout the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, but can sometime be found exploring dirt tracks in Baja California, Mexico. Alan is also a member of the Napa County Sheriff’s Volunteer Search & Rescue team.
As the right-hand to his mother & founder, Delia Viader, Alan oversees Viader production from start to finish. Having inherited his mother’s passion for winemaking and expressing Viader’s unique terroir, Alan is looking forward to continuing the family business for many exciting vintages and generations to come.
Country born: Argentina
Education: UC Davis Enology & Viticulture classes
University of Sciences-Agro in Bordeaux
2005 Harvest at Achaval-Ferrer in Mendoza, Argentina
Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years
Winemaking Philosophy:
Our philosophy is to allow the grapes and terroir (all factors that influence the character of grapes grown in a specific microclimate), to express themselves naturally in every glass of Viader.
Delia Viader
Winemaker, Viader Vineyards & Winery
I came to the United States as a post-graduate college student. Even before establishing VIADER, I was decidedly more attracted to Old World wines, and particularly impressed by the wines of St. Emilion which incorporate a lot of Cabernet Franc.
This was my inspiration for creating a blend with a high percentage of Cabernet Franc (the VIADER blend usually comprises of nearly 40% Cabernet Franc, and 60% Cabernet Sauvignon).
Always "daring to be different," I decided to bring the Bordeaux style of winemaking and vineyard cultivation to the California hillside by planting the vines in rows going up and down the mountain, following the path of the afternoon sun down the steep slopes of Howell Mountain. Soon after successfully releasing my first vintage, it was clear that with optimal sun exposure, and unique soil that allows for natural drainage, the vines in the rocky terroir produce fruit of exceptional quality.
In 2002, my son Alan came on board first to manage the vineyards and later became our Director of Operations, joining me on the winemaking and production team.
Country born: Argentina
Education: PhD in philosophy from Sorbonne Paris, MBA from MIT Sloan School, Financial Management from UC Berkeley, and Viticulture & Enology classes from UC Davis.
Years in the wine industry: 30+ years
Winemaking Philosophy:
Our philosophy is to allow the grapes and terroir (all factors that influence the character of grapes grown in a specific microclimate), to express themselves naturally in every glass of Viader.
Winery Distribution
Viader Vineyards & Winery is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Viader Vineyards & Winery Contact: Roman Montanez
International:
- Denmark ( KK wines )
- Japan ( Nakagawa Planning )
- Puerto Rico ( Mendez Co. )
- Singapore ( Water & Wine LTD )
- Spain ( Vila Viniteca )
- Switzerland ( Andreas Putzi-Wein Residenz )
- United Kingdom ( The Wine Treasury )
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