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FUTO Estate

The Winery

FUTO Estate

FUTO Estate is comprised of two distinct sites, 155 acres in the western hills of Oakville and 40 acres in the eastern hills of the Stags Leap District Appellation—each with approximately 13 planted acres. The foundation of excellence was firmly established with the help of luminaries such as David Abreu, Mark Aubert, and Howard Backen. Jason Exposto, who has led farming and winemaking since November of 2009, continues the pursuit of uncompromising quality.

The Oakville Estate has twenty-six delineated vineyard blocks that are planted in six different sites according to the topography, soil, and microclimate. The soils consist mainly of decomposed sandstone and shale from the ancient, uplifted seabed. Plantings consist primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon with lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot planted on several select sites throughout the estate.

Across the valley, planted on steeply terraced hillsides, the Stags Leap Estate was once the site of a rock quarry. Old Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in the mid-1980s comprise most of the vineyard, accompanied by an additional four acres planted in 2015. The vines grow in fractured rhyolitic tuff, a type of rock composed of consolidated volcanic ash. The exceptionally well-drained “soil” provides ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

FUTO Estate produces four wines from these two estate properties. The OV|SL Estate Red Wine, a chiseled blend that showcases the synergy of the two vineyard sites, is accompanied by two single-estate wines: Oakville Estate Red Wine and 5500 Stags Leap District Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, a Sauvignon Blanc is produced from a 1.2-acre block at the Stags Leap Estate.

The wines of FUTO Estate are recognized for their precision and purity of fruit expression which can only be achieved by meticulous viticulture and winemaking practices.

www.futoestate.com

2012
2 In Stock
750ml
WA99
V96
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Tasting Notes

WA99
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 5500 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot bottled unfined and unfiltered after 18-20 months in oak. Futo practices long lees contact, five-day prefermentation cold soak and only one racking, which is when the barrels are racked directly into the tank prior to bottling. This is a stunning wine, and it was not easy to back off a perfect score, but maybe that will come with another several years of bottle age. The wine has profound intensity, amazing purity and clarity, an inky bluish/purple color, a stunning nose of spring flowers interwoven with crème de cassis, background charcoal, smoldering embers, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. It has an incredible lightness of being, despite its exceptional intensity and richness. This is an amazing wine and a great example of Stags Leap. It should drink well for 30+ years.
V96
The 2012 5500 brings together the raciness of the vintage along with the precision and nuance that are such signatures of Stags Leap. Dark red cherry, mocha, plum, mint, pine and licorice flesh out as this sumptuous, deeply expressive Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its compelling personality. Sweet floral and mint notes add an attractive upper register of pure nuance.

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