The vines from our steeply terraced, Betty's Vineyard, struggle for nourishment and moisture consistently producing clusters with small berries and intense flavors. Wines from this vineyard have been highly acclaimed through the media since our first vintage in 2002, for their power and elegance. Aromatically, we love the lavender and violet tones emanating from this property. We acquired this property in 2000 and farm only 17 acres on this remote 55-acre estate.
The 265 acre Woolls Ranch was purchased in 2006 and produced its first fruit in 2012. We have 32 planted acres here and grow primarily Cabernet Sauvignon on this remarkable site. We also cultivate small blocks of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Carmenere and St. Macaire.
Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls & Paul Woolls Proprietors Betty hails from Minnesota, having spent her childhood growing up in a rural farming community. After college, she raised a family while building a career in real estate investment/development in Minneapolis. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for food and wine fueled the fires that transitioned her from owner/teacher of a cooking school in Minneapolis, to creating a winery in Napa Valley. In Napa, Betty fell in love with the beauty of the land, the vineyards, and the climate. In 1990, she landed in Oakville with a parcel of land, including vineyards and a home site. Betty reconnected with her deep-rooted appreciation of the soil and the bounties it brings. Over the next few years, additional vineyards on Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder added to the source available for varieties of grapes. The new century brought a cave, grapes crushed into wine and a design for a winery structure. The project completed in time for the harvest of 2003. In addition to the winery, Betty remains an active volunteer and philanthropist in the community. In 2009, her community involvement expanded to include an exciting new role as Trustee for Napa's Queen of the Valley Medical Center. Paul, too, began life in the Midwest. Born almost on the campus of Indiana University, he later moved to New Mexico. He now sheepishly admits it was there he developed the beginnings of a passion for wine, albeit on brands that today no serious vigneron would admit consuming. From those beginnings, Paul found in college that starving for a month would allow for one great meal at the only French restaurant nearby. Then law school and his practice allowed the drive to learn about wine to thrive. That drive culminated in a fortuitous wine tasting where he met Betty. Together, they now share a challenging goal of making the best possible wine from the exceptional vineyards they steward. Likewise, they are most fortunate to enjoy family life provided by numerous children (all girls) and even more grandchildren (mostly boys). Betty and Paul continue life’s joyous ride as companions, partners, and winemaking buddies in the O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery.
O'Shaughnessy Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% St. Macaire, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenère.
Blended from our three Estate vineyards in arguably the three best appellations within the Napa Valley: Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Oakville. Howell Mountain gives us structure and ripe red fruit, while Mt. Veeder adds an extra punch of tannins along with savory mineral driven qualities, Oakville balances out the mountains with its silky texture and pure fruit. This Cabernet is deep ruby red with an opaque center. Bold aromas of aged leather, black currant, and rum raisin, creating a layered and complex bouquet. A luxuriously sweet and rich entry, unfolding with ripe blackberry and velvety cocoa powder. The texture is smooth yet structured, balanced by moderate tannins and a medium level of acidity, leading to a long, elegant finish.
Review:
Based on 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% St. Macaire, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenère and aged two years in French oak (60% new, 40% second year), the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon offers blackcurrants, scorched earth, iron, sappy herbs, and tobacco. It's rich and medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and has a layered, textured mouthfeel, ripe underlying tannins, and outstanding length. I slightly prefer the overall structure and balance here to the Mt. Veeder bottling, but both are successful 2022s with 10-12 years of longevity.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
La Despensa Boutique Sangiovese is made from 100 percent Sangiovese.
There's really very little Sangiovese in Chile. It was an educated gamble to plant this variety in La Despensa little corner of Colchagua and the team is thrilled with the results.
This Sangiovese is a fresh and fruity take on a classic Italian variety, but with the typical savoury notes of tomato and cherry. Perfect for early drinking, but will improve for many years to come.
Fefinanes Albarino de Albarino is 100 percent Albarino
Fresh fruit aromas of apricot and peach slices with notes of lemon and green apple. Pretty notes of honey and wet nutmeg, and the mouth is round, clean, and pleasant with baked apple, honey, and lemon.
This is a classic Albariño which is good young, but actually improves over two to three years and remains quite drinkable for up to five years. Owner Juan Gil comments that the wine really starts to come into its own in June/July, and he actually prefers it 18 or more months after it's made. A Fefiñanes "vertical" of three or four vintages can provide some most interesting surprises.