;)
The Man. The Wine Maker. The Legend.
What does the man who has done everything do for an encore? He crafts one of the finest wines in the country, of course.
Just reading about some of the things wine owner Vito Bialla has accomplished in his life leaves me winded. I mean, here’s a guy who’s served his country in Viet Nam, started his own highly successful business by the time he was 20, and became the only person ever to run two Ultraman competitions within 6 days. Not only that, he’s also one of the decorated extreme distance swimmers in the world at over 60 years of age and has even led a team of world class swimmers across the Sea of Cortez to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Woof! I can barely pour myself a bowl of cereal without needing a nap, but not this guy.
So it comes as no surprise that when a man like Vito Bialla decides it get into the wine making business, he does it with the same amount of determination and commitment that he’s applied to his own life. Creating anything less than one of the world’s best wines is completely out of the question. That’s why he’s gone to great lengths to ensure that every bottle that leaves his winery is as perfect as it can be. Only the best 100% hand-picked, hand-destemmed grapes are chosen from the top Atlas Peak Vineyards of Napa Valley to create this Bialla Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Offering a mix of rich currant, cedar, tobacco, mineral, and iodine, this full-bodied wonder’s flavors flow through splendidly and ends with a firm tannin finish. With a 92 point score from Wine Spectator, this amazing cult-wine is well-structured and intense, much like Vito Bialla himself.
In life, there are two types of people: those who do great things, and the rest of us that attempt to cling to their coattails and enjoy the fruits of their labor. I, for one, plan to celebrate my own life’s mediocrity with a glass of Bialla Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. As long as I don’t get a cramp lifting the glass, that is.
2007 Bialla Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon:
- Acres: 1.6
- Clones: Cabernet Sauvignon 7, 8, 337 Merlot 181
- Rootstock: 7/101-14, 8/SO4, 337/101-14, Merlot/101-14
- Training: Cordon trained
- Pruning: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot
- Date picked: Cabernet Sauvignon - October 1; Merlot - September 11
- How picked: Hand harvested
- Brix: Cabernet Sauvignon 27.1-27.5, Merlot 26.7
- TA: Cabernet Sauvignon 0.55 -0.63; Merlot 0.68
- pH: Cabernet Sauvignon 3.75-3.80; Merlot 3.65
- Fermented in separate 1-ton lots
- 50% whole berries to fermenters
- 3-day cold soak at 50 degrees F
- 3 punch downs per day
- 88 degree fermentation temp
- Maceration days: Cabernet Sauvignon 30; Merlot 21, Pressed to 1.2 bar, combined with free-run immediately
- Oak type: 100 % French oak (Sylvain, Saury, Bel Air, Demptos, Gamba)
- Ages: 100% New
- Forests: Center of France, Allier
- Toast levels: Medium plus
- Rackings: Six rackings
- TA: 0.59 g/100mL
- PH: 3.95
- Alcohol: 15.57 % abv (alcohol by volume)
- Residual sugar: < 0.02 % (g/100mL)
