Making the 2025 Napa Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon – Winemaker Guide
If you’re setting out to make a truly top-tier Cabernet this season, you’re in the right place. And if you’ve already ordered our 2025 Calistoga Cabernet frozen must — or you’re about to — congratulations. You’re working with Benchland fruit that delivers the best of both worlds: generous berry character from the valley floor, with the structure and earthiness you expect from hillside influence.
This vintage leaned cooler overall across the valley, giving us something very reminiscent of a Bordeaux-style year — full flavor development without heat-driven overripeness. That balance gives you real freedom in your extraction choices.
Lab highlights (ETS analysis)
Cabernet Sauvignon – Clone 7
Brix: 23.5
pH: 3.95
TA: 2.8 g/L
YAN: 66 mg/L
Cabernet Sauvignon – Clone 337
Brix: 23.3
pH: 3.83
TA: 2.9 g/L
YAN: 60 mg/L
In practical terms, this means:
fully flavored Cab at moderate Brix
higher pH than ideal for long-term stability
low YAN → plan on nutrition support
excellent color and flavor potential without chasing heat
Quick Winemaker Summary (Read This First)
Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon – Clones 7 & 337
Chemistry: ~23.3–23.5 °Brix | pH 3.83–3.95 | TA ~2.8–2.9 g/L
• Style: ripe berry + classic Calistoga earth; Bordeaux-like balance
• Water-back: not recommended — Brix is already moderate
• Acid adjustments (tartaric per 5-gallon pail):
-Clone 337: ~20 g
-Clone 7: ~30 g
• Goal pH window: ~3.55–3.65 post-adjustment and before MLF
• Yeast options:
-BDX → graphite, structure, savory Cab character
-BM45 / D254 / similar → darker fruit, plush mid-palate
• Cap management: you may safely extract more if desired
• Extended maceration: very reasonable option this year
• Enzymes: optional, useful if aiming for maximum extraction
• MLF: plan to complete; use MLF nutrient
• Oak: medium+ toast French preferred; don’t overwhelm the berry core
Making the 2025 Napa Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon – Details
Let’s dive in!
Water-back? Easy answer: no
Use our water addition calculator: CLICK HERE
Brix here is 23.3–23.5 — already in a classically structured Cabernet range. There’s no stylistic or technical reason to dilute.
Water-back would only thin body
You already have a cooler-year balance
Alcohol will finish in a very comfortable range
👉 Recommendation: do not water back this Cab.
Acid adjustment: the key move on this wine
With pH at 3.83–3.95, the single biggest improvement you can make is proactive tartaric addition before fermentation.
Tartaric Acid Addition:
Clone 337 (lower pH of the two): add ~20 g tartaric per 5-gallon pail
Clone 7 (higher pH lot): add ~30 g tartaric per 5-gallon pail
This should:
lower pH into a microbiologically safer zone
improve color stability
help the wine keep freshness after MLF
set up better long-term aging
MLF will nudge pH upward slightly — so making this move up front is ideal.
Fermentation strategy for this vintage
This Cab doesn’t need rescuing; it gives you options.
Because 2025 behaved like a Bordeaux year:
flavor is already there
seeds and skins aren’t overly harsh
you don’t need to fear over-extraction the way you might in hot years
You can choose your adventure:
Conservative extraction (classic, elegant Cabernet)
temp peak: mid-80s °F
punchdowns: 2–3×/day
press at dryness or shortly after
bolder extraction (if you want more power)
allow temps into high-80s °F
consider extended maceration post-dryness
optional addition of skin enzyme
daily tasting guides your endpoint
Either path is valid — the fruit chemistry supports both.
Nutrients, color, and tannin support
YAN is 60–66 mg/L, so plan basic nutrition:
Go-Ferm or equivalent during rehydration
feed during fermentation (DAP + complex nutrient, staged)
For structure and longevity:
Opti-Red (or equivalent) for color stability & mouthfeel
FT Rouge or Cabernet-appropriate tannin
protects color
reinforces backbone
improves oxidative resistance
During MLF
use your preferred MLF nutrient for a clean finish
Oak program: frame, don’t mask
Calistoga Benchland Cab naturally gives:
blackcurrant & blackberry
graphite and dust
savory earth
So:
≤30% new oak equivalent if barreling
for carboys: 20–40 g oak chips/cubes to start, taste and step up
medium or medium+ toast French oak recommended
What to expect in the glass
blackberry and cassis
black cherry
cocoa and graphite
savory Calistoga earth
firm, age-worthy structure without harshness
Overall:
A cooler-year Calistoga Cabernet with real berry fruit, earth, and balance — and with the right early tartaric adjustment, it becomes beautifully stable, fresh, and cellar-worthy.