Apsara comes from the Sanskrit word for an angelic dancer whose elegant movements reflect the key elements in our wine:
Balance.
Purity.
Expression.
Our wines are a true expression of site and vintage with a focus on purity of flavor and a balance of fruit, tannins, and acidity.
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We want to intrigue and excite the drinker, creating wines that stimulate the taste buds, delivering new flavors, and bringing back memories of the lost ones. It's about giving the wine permission to find its own path, with our role as a guide more than anything else to ensure the wines end up delicious and charming with the ability to age and get better with time.
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We're fortunate to work with talented grapegrowers and premier vineyards in Sonoma Valley with a focus on Chardonnay and Syrah. Sonoma Valley is our home, and we are committed to showcasing its beauty and diversity, crafting unique wines that highlight its varied terroir.
2022 Cuvée S Cabernet Sauvignon, $60
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As the wine matured in the barrel, the dark fruit flavors became the driving character, surrounded by bold tannins, fresh acidity, and a heady aroma of crushed boysenberries, tobacco, and slight espresso notes. In the glass, the aromas are intense, veering into the licorice and coffee spectrum, the palate is dominated by dark fruits, with underlying leather, fresh drawn espresso and dark chocolate.
This wine is great to drink now but will improve with careful cellaring over the next 10-20 years.
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In 2022, we got an offer on a small parcel of grapes grown in the heart of Knights Valley by a good friend of ours. The 50-year-old vines were planted on a trellis system rarely seen today, with high canopies, beautiful grape clusters hanging at eye level, and on old California gravels. The quality of the fruit looked fantastic when I first went to check out the vineyard, although they needed perhaps another three weeks to develop the flavors necessary to create a great wine. As the season progressed, I watched the weather forecast intently, willing the good weather to continue. We gradually saw the grapes ripen, developing intense dark fruit flavors, and at the end of September, we decided to send in the picking crew to get the grapes off the vine and into the winery!
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VARIETAL COMPOSITION
100% Cabernet Sauvginon
AVA
Knight’s Valley
AGING
Two months in 30% New French oak and 70% once-used French Oak barrels
HARVEST DATE
September 28, 2022
BOTTLING DATE
December 20, 2023
ALCOHOL
14.8%
PH
3.76
2018 Cuvée Z Cabernet Sauvignon, $60
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This was a one-off for us. A chance to work with some Cabernet Sauvignon fruit came up, and we jumped on it. The fruit profile was different from the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; it was more complex, earthier, and had more of those typical “old world” components.
On the day of the harvest, members of my family who were not looking after our newborn daughter drove south to Santa Clara County and hand-picked roughly a ton of fruit, loaded it onto the back of the pickup, and went back up the valley to the winery in Napa. The grapes were hand-sorted and then destemmed into tank, after which we had a couple of cold beers to celebrate a very long day. The grapes underwent spontaneous fermentation and received two pump-overs per day to extract flavor and color fully.
At around day 14, the fermented grapes were pressed off straight into barrel, which is where they stayed for the next two months, going through the biological process of malolactic fermentation. Once this was complete, the wine was stabilized and then allowed to mature slowly in our caves for 17 months before bottling.
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VARIETAL COMPOSITION
100% Cabernet Sauvginon
AVA
Santa Clara County
AGING
17 Months in 50% New French oak and 50% once-used French oak
HARVEST DATE
September 15, 2021
BOTTLING DATE
May 12, 2020
ALCOHOL
14.0%
PH
3.85
2022 Petaluma Gap Chardonnay, $60
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Pale lemon color in the glass with aromatics of cut hay, baking spice, apple, and light floral notes. On the palate, the wine’s acidity is bright and pure, supported by fresh-cut melon, Granny Smith Apple, and jasmine. There are barrel elements that add complexity to the wine with well-integrated flavors like brioche and croissant. The fine-grain French oak offers structure to the wine, helping it age gracefully. The balance of the wine is kept lively and fresh with a low alcohol level, giving it the ability to be a perfect drink with or without food.
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Located at the base of Sonoma Mountain, the fruit bathes in cool coastal fog in the morning, followed by gentle warming sunshine in the later morning/afternoon. Slow steady ripening meant by the 15th of September, we were ready to pick. Harvested by hand and transported to the winery, the clusters were hand-sorted and loaded into the press. After a long gentle pressing cycle, the juice was allowed to settle out over a 48-hour period, then racked to barrel. The juice was then encouraged to undergo spontaneous fermentation in barrel, which lasted approximately fourteen days, after which the barrels were topped. The fresh wine was then given time to undergo a natural malolactic fermentation in barrel; over this period, the lees were stirred twice a month.
Once malolactic was completed, the barrels were topped, and the wine stabilized. Matured for 8 months in our cellars on lees. As we reached July, the wine was racked into tank, lightly filtered, and bottled.
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VARIETAL COMPOSITION
100% Chardonnay
AVA
Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Valley
AGING
8 Months in 30% New French oak and 70% once-used French oak
HARVEST DATE
September 15, 2021
BOTTLING DATE
July 26, 2023
ALCOHOL
13.9%
PH
3.61
2021 Sonoma Mountain Syrah, $80
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This wine is dark purple in the glass, opaque in nature carrying a black Indian ink hue. The wine shows generous aromatics of black pepper, figs, plums, and dark fruit with a complex nose of vanilla, toasted coconut, and sage. The fruits are rich and dark, ripe plum, black currant, cedar, and cherry complement the more savory notes of black pepper, cured meat, and slightly crushed black olive.
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Following multiple cool mornings that brought the cold ocean fog into the vineyard, the grapes were hand harvested and trucked to the winery. 60% of the fruit was hand sorted and destemmed and the remaining 40% was sorted but left as whole clusters. The whole cluster fruit was then foot trod to gently crush the grapes allowing a small amount of the juice to be released. The whole cluster and destemmed fruit was then layered into an open top tank and left to soak at ambient temperatures.
After three days, natural fermentation started and the tank was punched down twice a day. The slow gentle fermentation lasted for about 10 days after which the tank was drained and pressed to barrel. 30% of the oak was new French Tonnellerie Tremeaux barrels and the remaining barrels were once-used French oak Bel Air barrels. The wine was then left unsulphured to encourage natural malolactic fermentation. Once started the malolactic fermentation took about two months to complete, after which the barrels were racked to tank, the heavy solids were removed, and then the wine was barreled down again. We allowed the barrels to mature in our caves before we racked the wine once again to tank, gently filtered, and then bottled.
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VARIETAL COMPOSITION
100% Syrah
AVA
Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley
AGING
8 Months in 30% New French oak and 70% once-used French oak
HARVEST DATE
October 21, 2021
BOTTLING DATE
July 19, 2022
ALCOHOL
13.9%
PH
3.58
About Us
We created Apsara Cellars out of a desire to stay connected to
the artistry of winemaking. This project is driven by hard work,
love, passion, and generous support from our family and friends.
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Become a Member
Club members save on shipping, enjoy exclusive access to our limited production wines and complimentary tasting experiences. Click below to learn more.
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Visit Us
Enjoy a private tasting experience hosted by the winemaker. Your experience includes a tasting of the current releases, a barrel tasting and a tour of the caves.
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Shop Current Releases
A return to the artistry of winemaking, the wines of Apsara are a true expression of site and vintage with a focus on purity of flavor and a balance of fruit, tannins, and acidity.
Giving Back
3% of our net profit goes to The Union of Concerned Scientists.
We believe in research, learning, and using data-driven evidence to support a practice, whether that is in business or at the winery. The UCS works to help maximize clean energy, addressing the consequences of global warming, fighting for healthy food and farms, and defending the role of science in our democracy.
With every bottle of wine you buy you help make the world a safer and healthier planet.