The 2005 vintage in Napa was a vintner’s dream. A long, mild growing season followed generous winter rains. Moderate temperatures throughout the summer and early fall allowed us to irrigate less and the grapes to mature slowly, delaying harvest by Jim Barbour’s crew until mid October. If Goldilocks was a vintner, she would have pronounced 2005 “just right.” (Interestingly, 2006 would turn out to be a similar year as well.) In fact, the only “problem” with the ’05 vintage was harvest size so far exceeded estimates that there was a run on oak barrels as many winemakers were caught with more grapes than they expected. This should prove a boon to collectors as there will be a good supply of great Napa Cabs from 2005. We bottled 735 cases of our 2005 Butterdragon.

The 2005 Butterdragon Hill is a classically styled Cabernet. Powerfully rich, it opens with exotic floral aromas followed by lush black fruit, currant, and spicy pepper flavors. Smooth, sweet tannins provide the backbone to make this an excellent addition to your long-term cellar but vigorous decanting for an hour or more makes it a wonderful choice to share with friends now.

On January 9th, 2008 we bottled the 2005 from our Baconbrook vineyard. If barrel samples are any indication, this second vintage of Baconbrook is going to be stunning. We can’t wait to open our first bottle in a few months. Even we wait for a while. The good news is we made 360 cases of Baconbrook from 2005 so folks who miss out on the 2004 should be in luck when it is released this fall.

What a fantastic time to be a wine collector. More great wines are available than ever before and we sincerely appreciate the passion with which many of you are collecting our wines. As thanks, we are continuing our discount program for repeat customers and will continue to pay for ground shipping on orders of six bottles or more.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful, healthy, and happy New Year,

Randy Sloan, Sasha Match, and Alec Speckenbach