Description
2017 ULYSSES
Oakville – Napa Valley
Ulysses is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Budbreak: March 20
Bloom: May 18
Veraison: Aug 1
Harvest Start: September 15
Harvest End: October 3
Yields: 2.2 – 3.1 tons/acre
Bottling: July 2019
Cases Produced: 1000
Release Date: March 2021
WEATHER 2017:
A very wet winter and spring, seasonal rainfall was twice the historical average. With soil water reserves full and warm temperatures in May and June, vines grew quickly and luxuriantly. Several significant heat waves were recorded in June, July, August, and September with a record-breaking 112F on September 1st. Ripening was fast and homogenous. The severe heat wave before harvest induced significant crop loss. To maintain quality, fruit selection was critical and resulted in our smallest vintage since 1988.
Winemaker’s Notes:
With black tea leaf and brioche, Ulysses 2017 delivers dense layer so deep cherry, balsamic, peat, forest berries and fresh walnut, woven through a finely grained texture, and a lingering warm cacao powder finish.
2017 | Tech Sheet | POS | Label | Bottle Shot
James Suckling – 96 Points
Top 100 US Wines for 2020 – #94
Extremely aromatic with crushed berries, currants, flowers and hints of uncured tobacco leaf. Carnations. Medium to full body and extremely fine tannins that are firm and polished. Vertical tannins draw you down. Some blanched-walnut character to the blue fruit. Fresh and clean at the finish. Release in spring 2020. So beautiful to drink now.
Wine Spectator – 95 Points
This is packed with the ripe, vivid fruit of the vintage, sporting intense cassis, raspberry and blackberry flavors allied to prodigious structure in the form of licorice root and roasted apple wood notes. Rippling with muscle through the finish, but without being domineering, showing focus and detail. Like a Richard Serra, this is seemingly immense at first glance, but steadily pulls you in with its details. Best from 2022 through 2038. —J.M.
Vinous – 94 Points
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is soft, understated and classy, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. The purity of the red-fleshed fruit is striking, as is the wine’s freshness and overall silkiness. All of the elements are so well balanced. The 2017 naturally doesn’t have the pedigree or breadth of the very best years, but it is an absolute pleasure to taste. — Antonio Galloni Drink 2024 – 2037