A vertical of Fleury Estate’s Passionné Cabernet Blend from 2012 to 2016 offers the rare opportunity to compare and contrast five of Napa Valley’s finest and most collectible recent vintages. Available for a limited time on WTSO as a premium wine featured collection starting June 1:
- All Napa wine bottles will be displayed at WTSO.com/fleury-estate
- Get $25 automatically discounted at checkout on every 5 bottles purchased*
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- Shop early so your favorite vintage doesn’t sell out!
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Fleury Estate Winery sits tucked away among an elite neighborhood of Rutherford producers, including Quintessa, Caymus, and Scarecrow. Since Brian and Claudia Fleury purchased the property in 2000, they’ve excelled in crafting small-production, ultra premium Napa Valley red wines featuring Bordeaux grape varieties from their magnificent 11-acre estate vineyard, as well as fruit from prized appellation sites in St. Helena and Howell Mountain. They also make a modest amount of white wine. The addition of winemaking facilities gives them optimal control over quality, while their hospitality segment has resulted in a loyal following for wines that largely fly under the radar of critics.
“The grapes take center stage in every one of our wines. It’s our mission to make sure the very best goes into every barrel, bottle and glass of our wines.” – Brian Fleury
Cabernet Sauvignon represents the crux of Fleury Estate’s output, whether in exclusive bottlings from Rutherford and Howell Mountain, or Bordeaux-inspired Napa Valley red blends like Passionné, an ever-evolving and harmonious expression of estate and sourced grapes from premier Napa Valley vineyards that were hand-harvested at night and matured in a generous portion of new French oak barrels for at least 22 months. Bottling occurs without fining or filtering.
Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect from each wine…
2012
Napa Valley’s banner 2012 growing season is reflected beautifully in this impeccably balanced library Passionné vintage, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc from Rutherford and Howell Mountain aged for 24 months in 75% new French oak barrels. The seamless integration of oak and tannins with bottle age, along with mature hints of forest floor, tobacco, and leather, complement the wine’s lush cassis, raspberry pureé, and mocha core. Decanting is highly recommended to ensure the best drinking experience.
2013
The bountiful 2013 vintage yielded perfectly ripe grapes for another Passionné release, this time comprised of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot, 12% Malbec, and 6% Merlot raised in 75% new French oak over 22 months. Decanting reveals a full-bodied, hedonistic red wine in its prime, enriched with blackberry, fig, and plum reduction notes and shaped by polished tannins. Complex accents of pressed violet, graphite, and cedar unfurl as the blend breathes.
2014
As the third successive growing season with warm, dry conditions, 2014 once again delivered beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot for the Fleury Estate Passionné, which also spent 22 months in 75% new French oak barrels. Concentrated black cherry, baked plum, bay leaf, leather, and cocoa aromas build in the glass before continuing onto the palate, structured by velvety tannins to justify additional cellaring if desired.
2015
Hot and dry weather conditions in Napa continued into the 2015 vintage, which culminated with an unusually early harvest. Fleury Estate selected 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot, and 10% Malbec for their Passionné blend, a fresh, vibrant, and savory red wine boasting cigar box, smoke, earth, and eucalyptus notes entwined with high-toned raspberry and spice layers that develop after limited aeration.
2016
Relief from drought finally came in 2016 as rain and cooler weather towards the end of the season benefited later-ripening varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, which proved itself especially successful in elegantly structured wines. Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot fill out the remainder of the blend for the Passionné vintage this time around, showcasing Napa Valley’s affinity for Bordeaux grapes through pure black currant, dark plum, graphite, and sage notes. Toasty vanilla and cedar hints become more apparent with time in the glass, though this promising Fleury Estate bottling displays all the hallmarks of age-worthiness, for those patient enough to wait.
Visit us at WTSO.com to discover this Fleury Estate Winery vertical collection, along with more premium wines available to ship next business day!
*Sponsored by Wine Marketing Group. Void where prohibited.