theCompass mobile application is a winery, brewery, and distillery locator for North America.

The 2003 growing season in the Napa Valley was one of the strangest in history. With adequate rainfall from the winter months, budbreak took place in late March and early April. Mother Nature played some tricks on the vineyard by delivering over 5 inches of rain in late April and was not about to let us have another early harvest like there was in 2002. The rains slowed down all progression of the vines until the end of May with bloom taking place in late June. A warm summer with temperatures hovering in the high 80's followed. In September, a series of heat waves with temperatures above 105 degrees caused widespread sunburn and dehydration. The affected fruit, as much as 33% in some areas, had to be dropped. Picking began in 2003 with the Cabernet Sauvignon on October 6th and finished on October 17th. Cabernet Franc was harvest on October 15th and Petit Verdot on October 29th. The extended hang time insured that the fruit was as ripe as possible with mature tannins.

Each block was separately hand picked in small boxes and the grapes were rigorously hand sorted to yield only the finest fruit. Once delivered to the winery, the fruit was once again sorted prior to destemming and crushing. The must was moved to stainless steel tanks for 72 hour pre-fermentation maceration. The tanks were then inoculated and pumped over 2 times per day until dryness. The tanks were then sealed for extended maceration. On average, the wines were in contact with the skins for a period of 35 days. The free run wine was drained from the tanks and held separate from the press wine. The settled free run wine was then moved to 100% new French oak barrels. The wines were racked quarterly with blending amongst the lots taking place at each movement. After 20 months of barrel aging, the wine was bottled August 14, 2003.

Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain District - $75 (1667 cases): Distinctive nose of briary bramble berry, accented with bright blueberry and loamy earthiness. Deeply flavored and viscous with ripe, medium-full tannins, this is a muscular Cabernet brimming with concentrated dark berry-cassis fruit; finishes with subtle notes of white chocolate and white pepper.” Steve Pitcher, June/July 2005