25th of April 2024 Login  
REGISTER JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
Store Wine Clubs Auctions Wine & Golf Recipe of the Day
About Us Contact Us Press Advertising Policies

Featured Wines

New Wine Jobs

Post/Edit Jobs

Independent Wine Ambassador
Boisset Collection
More Jobs...

Newest Events

Submit an Event

December event 2017
Entrabase
World Market Oktoberfest Celebration
Cost Plus World Market
Paso Wine BlendFest on the Coast
Test event
Entrabase
Lexus Grand Tasting at the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival
More Events...
Wine Guide > Cakebread Cellars > Dancing Bear Ranch

more about Dancing Bear Ranch
Cakebread Cellars
Cabernet Sauvignon

2004 Dancing Bear Ranch
Howell Mountain Napa Valley

Our Howell Mountain grapes possess deeper color, higher acidity and more tannin than our valley-grown fruit. As a result, our winemaking approach with Dancing Bear is to capture the distinctive, intense character of the fruit without extracting overly aggressive tannins. To do so, we carefully monitor fermentation temperatures and the ‘cap’ of skins at the top of the fermenting tank, whose contact with the juice determines the degree of tannin extraction. Winemaker Julianne Laks carefully manages these processes during fermentation and maceration (the period after fermentation when the wine remains in contact with the grape skins), tasting the wine daily to assess tannin levels and ‘mouth-feel’. When Julianne senses the wine has achieved an optimal balance of fruit intensity and ripe tannins, we drain the free run wine from the skins (no ‘press wine’ is used) and transfer it to French oak barrels for aging. The 2004 Dancing Bear was aged 22 months in French oak barrels, 45% new, prior to bottling in August, 2006.

Reviews
Rating: 93
Reviewed by: anonymous

Add a review
Review Guidelines

Overall Score:


Your Name (not required):
First Impression (bottle, etc):
Look & general color of wine:
The aroma of the wine:
The flavor & finish of the wine:

Pairs great with:

Review:

200 characters max (not required)

Showcase Wineries

Zayante Vineyards (5)
Roudon-Smith Winery (6)

Featured Wines