Incubo

Much More Information...

This is a real blockbuster Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine has a distinct purity with deftly textured tannins formed from the ancient sandstone soils. The layers here are intense and stay with you for ages.  There is a very small percentage of Cabernet Franc that lifts the mid palate and brightens the complex aromatics with blue fruits and cedar cigar box.

The 2022 vintage was the most perfect example yet of the majesty of our ridge-top mountain site.  Everything we love about it played a vital role in allowing our grapes to thrive in a year that many found challenging.  The late season heat was hardly a blip.  Our elevation and marine influence cushioned the diurnal extremes of temperature that the valley experienced, and our south-eastern exposure meant that we were faced away from, and shaded against, the late afternoon blasts of sun.  The hot sunny final weeks of our season only served to amplify the attributes that we all know and love about our wines.

In the glass, the first thing that strikes you is their distinct purity; the balance of their aromatic fruit, floral, spice and savory characters meshes into a perfect singularity and just sings a clear, beautiful note.  There’s ideal acidity there too, because the vineyard’s smooth, temperate season gave the grapes time to develop slowly and without panicking.  The relative warmness of 2022 has given our wines a deep, plush richness, and supple fine-grained tannin.

2022: Black currant, tobacco, cedar, dark chocolate, clove, blood orange zest, blackberry, beautiful attack here with richness and good density, no shortage of freshness with lovely acidity and perfect balance. The finish is long with cocoa, tobacco, plum, blackberry and black currants.

Incubo began as a tiny, 12 case cuvee that Aaron made from the 1/2 acre vineyard that was already planted on our property when we bought it in 2004.  Over time we expanded the vineyards to almost 5 acres, and Incubo grew to around 80 cases.  The name derives from a mythical creature supposed to guard a hoarde of treasure.  The dragon symbol is in fact the signature of a medieval painter named Lucas Cranach, who often depicted wine and merry-making in his work.  We visited a gallery full of his paintings while we were in Germany in 2004 for the World Cup, which is where we got the inspiration.