Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 (750ml)

 

Our wines come from premium vineyard sites strategically located near the cool marine influences of the sun filled California coast.  With each new vintage, we offer wines of consistent flavor and exceptional quality from vineyards perfectly suited to that particular varietal.

 

Napa Valley

 

We love to produce wines from Napa Valley, mainly because the appellation offers such a diverse microclimate within this fairly small American Viticultural Area (AVA).  Only 30 miles long and 15 miles wide, the temperatures in Napa vineyards vary by up to 15 degrees north to south with the vines receiving cool afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay.  As you can imagine, we are able to produce wines with tremendous flavors, aromas and complexities. Today, we produce a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley Red Blend.

 

2015 Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

 

Tasting Notes:  Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby in color and displays aromas of raspberry, cassis and cigar box.  Once in your mouth, the wine’s silky raspberry fruit flavors and the combination of oak and tannin nuances create a well balanced, rich and full bodied wine that draws you in for more. 

 

Winemaking Notes:  Grapes from sites throughout Napa Valley were harvested at optimal maturity, then de-stemmed and gently crushed into open-top stainless steel fermenters, at warm temperatures, to fully extract color and flavor.  The fermented wine then was racked to a combination of French and American oak for aging of which 10% was new.  During the aging process the wine lots were tasted throughout and blended back together just before bottling

 

Technical Information

 

Alcohol:  13.5%

Appellation:  Napa Valley

Wine Type:  Red Wine

Varietal:  Cabernet Sauvignon

 

 

Sean Minor

 

Family of Wines

 

The Minor Family

 

We founded Four Bears Winery and Sean Minor Wines in 2005 for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, we wanted to make delicious, quality wines that continually exceed your expectations.

 

We are all about family and we named our business for our four children: Nick, Elle, Jack and Charlie.  Starting our own winery is both a professional and personal dream.  Not long after Nicole and I were married, we discovered our second largest monthly expense was wine.  We enjoy wine every day with dinner, when friends and family come to visit, during celebrations… actually, I can’t think of times we don’t enjoy wine.

 

After a number of years in the industry, I knew there had to be a better and more affordable way to produce great wines without severe consequences on the pocket book.  We started Four Bears Winery and began producing wines from premier appellations throughout California.  With the help of a family friend and colleague, Will Bucklin, our initial production featured a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast Chardonnay, and Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Just as our family and children have grown, so has our business.  We decided our winery would eventually include more than one label – each with a different focus and personality – much like our children.  We offer wines under three labels; Four Bears – California Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast Chardonnay, Central Coast Pinot Noir and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon; Sean Minor – Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Carneros Pinot Noir, Napa Valley Red Blend; and Point North – Oregon Pinot Noir.

 

Sean Minor

 

I was born in Kansas surrounded by agriculture and the hard work and values responsible for the enviable work ethic of Midwestern people.  The concept of coaxing things out of the earth and bringing them to the dinner table has always been a fascinating aspect.  Wine takes this concept to its zenith.

 

My wine career began after a formal education in finance from Arizona State University where I also met my wife, Nicole.  We moved to California after graduation, where I began working for Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyard.  I knew right from the start, the wine industry was the right place for me.  I began taking classes at U.C. Davis in Viticultural and Enology in hopes of developing a further understanding of grape growing and wine production.

 

We moved to the Pacific Northwest after being recruited by King Estate Winery (widely renown for producing Oregon’s largest and most highly regarded Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris) to manage the Estate.  I met Will Bucklin, King Estate’s then winemaker, and developed an even stronger knowledge of winemaking and gained a lifelong friend.  I learned firsthand the importance of site-specific viticulture, and ended up leaving King Estate to lead Benton Lane Winery – rounding out my cool climate viticulture experience.

 

Our family returned to California in 2001 for the opportunity to manage Renwood Winery and enhance my wine experience growing and marketing some of the Golden State’s best Zinfandel and Syrah.  Four years later, we founded Sean Minor Wines.

 

Winemaking

 

Let me introduce you to our friend and wine consultant Will Bucklin.  Will and I first met while working side-by-side at King Estate Winery, Oregon’s largest and renowned national producer of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.  Will led the winemaking efforts and I led the operations as General Manager, and during this time our friendship developed.

 

With over 20 years in winemaking experience, Will joined me in my winemaking efforts at Sean Minor Wines as Consulting Winemaker.  He is generous with his time as he also runs his own family winery.  Together, we collaborate on the selection and blending of all the wines.

 

My winemaking philosophy is to offer wines that exude quality and truly represent the appellation, from which they’re produced, yet are affordable for everyday enjoyment.  Will’s experience and expertise complements our philosophy perfectly.

 

Will is a graduate of UC Davis’ prestigious enology program and started his career with an internship at the historic and world-renowned Chateau Lafitte Rothschild.  A stint with Thomas Hardy in Australia, and Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino, preceded his move to Oregon and King Estate.  In 2000, Will moved to his family vineyard in Sonoma Valley where he launched his family’s winery.

 

We feel fortunate to have such a gifted winemaker and friend assisting our family operation.