Cain "Five" Red Blend 2002
(Napa Valley, California)

Notes from the Winemaker:
2002 was one of the warmest vintages we’ve had in the Napa Valley. You can expect fully ripe, concentrated wines, generous in every attribute. Anyone who has followed our work might be thinking that perhaps 2002 could be too ripe—dare we say, over-ripe? Indeed, our 2002 reminds me of the debate over the now-fabled 1982 vintage in
Bordeaux. Although we watched a large part of our crop shrivel and dry on the vine while we awaited the true hallmarks of ripeness, the wait was worth it. Our Cain Vineyard, on top of Spring Mountain, was cool enough to pull it through and to give us rich wine with great density while maintaining the signature Cain Five style. Because of the heat, we weren’t able to make a lot of this wine, but we’re happy!

The 2002 Cain Five is very round, smooth, and full-bodied. It is quite drinkable today, but it will develop in the next couple of years, and it is sure to last 15 or more years. Although the first notes are of mocha and vanilla, a very pure cassis is hiding in the background (which bodes well), and the full, sweet entry fills out to a satisfying mid-palate, leading to a long, smooth finish.

Our winemaking is simple: We believe that red wine is a partial extraction of the grape. Our goal is to get what we want and to leave the rest behind. At Cain, this means hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, and manual pressing. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, is blended early, is racked barrel-to barrel, is egg-white fined, and is bottled without filtration.