Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley 2017 (750ml)

 

Rated 96 Points by James Suckling

 

Extremely aromatic with crushed berries, currants, flowers and hints of uncured tobacco leaf.  Carnations.  Medium to full body and extremely fine tannins that are firm and polished.  Vertical tannins draw you down.  Some blanched-walnut character to the blue fruit.  Fresh and clean at the finish.  Release in spring 2020.  So beautiful to drink now.

 

Rated 95 Points by Wine Spectator

 

This is packed with the ripe, vivid fruit of the vintage, sporting intense cassis, raspberry and blackberry flavors allied to prodigious structure in the form of licorice root and roasted apple wood notes.  Rippling with muscle through the finish, but without being domineering, showing focus and detail.  Like a Richard Serra, this is seemingly immense at first glance, but steadily pulls you in with its details.  Best from 2022 through 2038.

 

Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Oakville AVA Napa Valley 2017

 

By Christian Moueix

 

“To Strive, To Seek, To Find, And Not To Yield”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  Ulysses

 

The wine, estate bottled, calls to mind “authenticity, purity and radiance.”

 

Tasting Notes

 

With black tea leaf and brioche, Ulysses 2017 delivers dense layers of deep cherry,
balsamic, peat, forest berries and fresh walnut, woven through a finely grained
texture, and a lingering warm cacao powder finish.

 

Apellation:  Oakville Napa Valley

 

Director:  Julia Levitan

 

Technical Director:  Tod Mostero

 

Vineyard Grape Varietals:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

 

Soil Types:  Deep, gravelly clay loam

 

Viticulture

 

• Certified organic farming practices (CCOF)
• Dry-farming (no irrigation)
• Soil tillage (French plow)
• Vine growth management adapted to the climatic conditions

 

Harvest:  Manual harvest; sunny side of the vines picked a few days before the shady side Manual and optical sorting

 

Winemaking:  Gentle pump-overs and extraction

 

Aging:  In French Oak Barrels

 

Ulysses

 

Ulysses is result of Christian Moueix’s ongoing quest to explore the unique character  and quality of an exceptional terroir and to translate its specificity in a wine.  His is a journey that began in Bordeaux and continues today in the Napa Valley.

 

Son of the famed Bordeaux wine merchant Jean-Pierre Moueix, Christian was born in Libourne, France.  Having studied viticulture at University of California, Davis, his career has been notable by his introducing numerous vineyard practices, once considered revolutionary and now widely employed by most top chateaux.  Today, along with Dominus Estate and Ulysses Vineyard in Napa Valley, he and his son, Edouard, produce wine from eight family chateaux in Pomerol and Saint Emilion.

 

Christian is driven by his zealous pursuit of perfection and his belief in stewardship.  His 45-year career has earned him recognition as one of wine’s great visionaries.  With deep interests in history, art and literature, Christian interprets the classic tale of Ulysses’ voyage as an epic journey and a lesson in humility.  The story evokes commitment, passion and the passage of time, all elements essential to our understanding of a vineyard and its potential to produce great wines.

 

Ulysses Vineyard

 

Ulysses vineyard was acquired in 2008 by Christian Moueix.  Situated along Napa Valley’s Oakville bench and extending over an alluvial fan at the foot of the Mayacamas Range, the site was once part of the famed Charles Hopper ranch and it is exceptional for winegrowing.

 

The soil is composed of deep, gravelly, clay loam and is particularly well-suited to growing Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Since the acquisition, Christian Moueix and his team have pursued an in-depth understanding of the soil and microclimate and have undertaken a lengthy and meticulous vineyard restoration.

 

Dry farming, the foundation of Ulysses’ sustainable farming practices, enhances root depth and resistance to drought, resulting in a wine that is a pure expression of terroir.

 

The winemaking team’s intention is to produce a wine reflecting the exceptional potential and individuality of the Ulysses vineyard.  The approach is minimalist, with attentive observation and restrained intervention.  Harvested at perfect ripeness with the utmost care, the grapes undergo both cluster and berry selection before a gentle vinification and aging.

 

Ulysses is a distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  It should be decanted prior to serving.

 

In 2021, Ulysses received its CCOF ("California Certified Organic Farmers") certification for organic farming practices. 

 

Vintage Summary 2017

 

A very wet winter and spring, seasonal rainfall was twice the historical average.
 

With soil water reserves full and warm temperatures in May and June, vines grew quickly and luxuriantly.

 

Several significant heat waves were recorded in June, July, August, and September with a record-breaking 112 F on September 1st.

Ripening was fast and homogenous.  The severe heat wave before harvest induced significant crop loss.  To maintain quality, fruit selection was critical and resulted in our smallest vintage since 1988.

 

 

Moueix

 

Internationally renowned, Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix has become a hallmark for the top wines of Bordeaux.  The company is the largest wine merchant on the Right Bank, distributing fine wines from Bordeaux and California worldwide.

 

Family run since 1937, Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix is also the owner and producer of several prestigious crus, including Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Château Trotanoy, and Château Hosanna in Pomerol; Château Bélair-Monange Premier Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion; and, in Napa Valley, California, Dominus Estate and Ulysses.

 

Jean-Pierre Moueix was born in Correze in 1913 and moved to Saint-Émilion with his parents following the Great Depression of 1929.  At the time, the wines of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion were not yet widely recognized.  Jean-Pierre Moueix, a visionary, foresaw great potential both in the Merlot grape and in its ability to age when grown in the best terroirs of his adopted region.

 

In 1950, he began augmenting his merchant business with the acquisition of several well-known vineyards, starting with Pomerol’s Château La Fleur-Pétrus, followed by Château Magdelaine, Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, in 1952, and Château Trotanoy, Pomerol, in 1953.  Over the next four decades, he continued to successfully develop the wine merchant and production elements of the business simultaneously.

 

The highlight of his career was the acquisition of Château Petrus.  He entrusted its care to his son Christian for 38 vintages.  Jean-François Moueix, his elder son, inherited the property and in 2009 took over the management.

 

Jean-Pierre Moueix passed away in 2003 at the age of 90, remembered as a man of great culture, generosity, and wisdom.

 

Christian Moueix (b. 1946) joined the family business in 1970.  Initially directing the company’s viticultural activities, he later assumed commercial responsibilities before becoming President in 1991.   Passionate about viticulture, he added to the firm’s vineyard holdings through the acquisition of remarkable vineyard sites in Pomerol, such as Château Hosanna in 1999, Château Providence in 2005, and the historic Château Bélair, Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, in 2008.

 

The development of these properties ran parallel to that of Dominus Estate, a 124-acre vineyard in Napa Valley acquired in 1982.  Its Napanook vineyard was part of the original 1850’s Hopper Ranch.  Ulysses Vineyard, which marks the northern boundary of the Hopper Ranch just one mile north in Oakville, was acquired in 2008, effectively bookending the southern and northern ends of the historic ranch.

 

Edouard Moueix (b. 1977) joined the company in 2003 and became the third generation involved in the family business.  As Executive Vice President, he developed Autres Rivages, the sister company dedicated to the distribution of Left Bank and California wines.

 

 

Rated 95 Points by Wine Spectator

 

This is packed with the ripe, vivid fruit of the vintage, sporting intense cassis, raspberry and blackberry flavors allied to prodigious structure in the form of licorice root and roasted apple wood notes.  Rippling with muscle through the finish, but without being domineering, showing focus and detail.  Like a Richard Serra, this is seemingly immense at first glance, but steadily pulls you in with its details.  Best from 2022 through 2038.