Blankiet
The couple Claude and Katherin Blankiet spent years searching for the perfect piece of land at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains in Napa Valley, California. Their wish was to produce world-class wines. In 1996, they found the perfect piece of land in Yountville.
The eastern exposure ensures warming of the vines in the morning. The temperature is tempered by a cool sea breeze from the San Pablo Bay. Because of this cool breeze, the grapes keep good acidity. The vineyards are also called Paradise Hills. The soil of the Paradise Hills Vineyards consists of, among other things, volcanic rock with a thick layer of clay, sandstone and shale. Claude himself calls it “a puzzle of microclimates”. It is remarkable that there are so many differences within the vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot make for stunning wines here.
In the early years, Blankiet got advice from David Abreu and winemaker Helen Turley. Together, they managed to achieve the goal of Claude and Katherin in a relatively short time: to bring high-quality wines to the market. Helen Turley eventually produced eight vintages for the winery. After that, Denis Malbec, the former cellar master of Château Latour, took over Helen's work. Unfortunately, this was only short-lived, as Denis died in a tragic car accident. Graeme MacDonald was the next to follow in his footsteps and managed to take the wines to an even higher level. The winery has scored 100 points several times!
The grape bunches are harvested by hand and selected several times for quality. Each crop is then fermented separately in custom-built stainless steel tanks. After that, the wines are pumped into French oak barrels. The underground cellar has the optimal conditions for maturing the wines. The cellar is free of vibrations, has sufficient humidity and a constant temperature of twelve degrees. The wines are not finified or filtered before being bottled.
Blankiet Estate's top cuvées are River Droite and Paradise Hills Vineyards Bordeaux Blend. Because Blankiet's wines are so exclusive, each bottle contains a seal with a unique authentication code. With this code, you can verify your bottle in the corresponding database.
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