Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Franc

Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay

Pinot Noir

Syrah

Late Harvest Sémillon

‘Pièce de Maître’

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Every year, we gather with our French coopers and fellow vintners, blind tasting individual barrels to assess the synergic interactions between our barrels and wines.  The single selected barrel of this special bottling is a tribute to the art of coopering and to the particular cooper’s craft.  Representing the barrel (Pièce) from the Master Cooper, it is the ‘Masterpiece’ or ‘Pièce de Maître.’

Winemaker notes:

The single barrel ‘Pièce de Maître’ displays a very intense, fruity and complex bouquet of crushed wild strawberries and red berry coulis.  Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, the palate is reminiscent of the bouquet with hints of incense.  With silky tannins and a perfectly seamless texture, the wine boasts a refined, smooth and long finish.  This incredible Cabernet Sauvignon is a true masterpiece and will age gracefully for 25 to 30 years.

Luc Morlet

Property Name

‘Pièce de Maître’

Name meaning 

Masterpiece; tribute to the art of coopering

Varietal composition

Cabernet Sauvignon  

Type of wine

Single barrel

Appellation

Napa Valley

Vineyard singularity

One select barrel from Morlet Family estate vineyards

Farming

Organic & sustainable farming by full-time, year-round Morlet Farming team

Typical harvest date

September-October

Picking

Night pick; manual; small lugs; refrigerated truck

Sorting

Cluster-by-cluster & berry-per-berry by hand; Le Trieur™ 

Fermentation

Through native yeast; punch downs in stainless steel tanks & Darnajou French oak puncheons; Gyrobox™

Upbringing

16 months in French oak barrels from selected artisan coopers

Bottling

Unfined, unfiltered

Ideal cellaring

5 to 10 years after harvest date

Arc of aging

30+ years

Serving

61-64°F (16-18°C); Decant 1 hour prior to serving