Smith-Madrone Cook's Flat Reserve, 2016

Smith-Madrone was established in the spring of 1971 when we cleared the forest and reclaimed a long abandoned vineyard. We have meticulously farmed Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the ensuing years. We built the winery; we make the wine. Yes---authentic and artisanal.

After an enormous amount of thinking, tasting and walking through the vineyard….we decided to make a Reserve.

The Cook's Flat Reserve bottling represents the very best of which we are capable in a given year. It can only be made in small quantities and will only be available when warranted by a vintage of superior quality. It is the ultimate distillation of our experience and expertise.

Cook's Flat Reserve is a proprietary name for a wine that is the culmination of our 50 years of growing grapes and making wine in the mountains of the Spring Mountain District. The name refers to George Cook, the first owner of the property. 'Cook's Flat' was the local oldtimers' name for the eight-acre plateau-like vineyard block which was replanted in 1972.

The packaging expresses the property's history and an uncompromising attention to detail. Each bottle is numbered and only around one thousand bottles are produced in each vintage. Each bottle is wrapped in tissue which has been printed with a multi-colored copy of the U.S. Land Office Patent which granted ownership to George Cook and was signed by President Chester Arthur on December 5, 1885. We proudly display the original at the winery.

The wine is blended from varying proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It is classically structured for sustained aging and has layers upon layers of dark, rich fruit flavors.