Sloan
On the eastern hills of Rutherford, you can find the Sloan Estate winery. The domain is situated at an altitude of 250 meters and this offers favourable conditions, as well as an amazing view over the Napa Valley. In 1998, the winery was bought by Stuart Sloan, of Sloan Capital Companies. Two years later, the first vintage came on the market. In 2011, businessman Sutong Pan took over the entire domain.
In 1997, the first vines were planted on the mineral-rich soil of volcanic rock. The domain comprises a total of 16 hectares. Of this area, five hectares are vineyards. The combination of the height, the soil and the cooling effect of the sea warrant the right ripening conditions. Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape variety. There are also small amounts of merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot.
The vineyards are harvested by hand in several rounds. This is done early in the morning so that the bunches arrive in the cellar while they are still cool. The grape bunches are first soaked cold for 7 days before fermentation is started. The wines are then aged in French oak, which mainly consists of new wood.
The winery's showpiece is the Sloan Proprietary Red. This is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. A layered wine with many intense fruit aromas, complexity and a good balance between the acids and the tannins. Sloan's other wine is Asterisk. This cuvée made its debut in 2004. This is also a blend, but it mainly consists of Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines have good aging potential and will last several years.
The total production is around 500 to 600 boxes per year. The wines are sold through an allocation list, so they are difficult to get. This is why these wines are in even greater demand! Sloan's iconic vintages are 2002 and 2007.
Read more