About the Winery / Winemaker:
Wine Spectator Magazine: "Skinner has proven to be one of the most important thinkers in California wine. Under the
Sequum label, Skinner crafts terrific wines from Napa and Sonoma. Sequum wines demonstrate that Skinner clearly knows what he's talking about on the production end too. Vineyard consultant and soils and microclimate expert Dr. Paul Skinner ("Dr. Dirt") is owner and winemaker of Sequum. A long recognized vineyard expert, his past and present client list includes:
- Bryant
- Marcassin
- Colgin
- Pride
- Caymus
- Araujo
- Kistler
- Harlan Estate
- Peter Michael
- Sloan
Instrumental in replanting the Napa Valley after phyloxera, he personally laid out the replanting of Colgin, Bryant and Araujo. He has authored two definitive books "Soils and Wine Grapes in the Napa Valley AVA" and "Weather and Wine Grapes in the Napa Valley AVA." With both a PhD in wine soil science (UC Davis) and Masters degrees following work for US Forest Service, USDA, EPA and the Peace Corps, he has been an independent vineyard consultant for over 20 years.
Robert Parker: "Skinner is best known for his high tech company that utilizes GPS for detailed images of soil and topography analysis, weather stations that provide remarkably detailed information to vineyard owners, and for making his own wine." He has 70 solar-powered weather stations in Napa Valley vineyards that update his website every 15 minutes with data regarding wined, temperature, humidity at varying soil depths, leaf moisture, solar radiation, etc.
Vineyards, Winegrowing and Winemaking: Dr. Skinner says "you can make high-quality wines from a variety of sites, but it's important to get the rootstock, clone, trellising and irrigation right." He closely manages all aspects of vine growth from soil nutrition to canopy configuration to optimize exposure of the grape clusters to the elements of light and heat for best possible fruit quality. Focusing largely on the vineyard to ensure optimal wine quality, his winemaking is unobtrusive and hands-off. With the assistance of the Pride Mountain winemaking team, he gently lets his wines rest, and racks no more than twice before bottling unfined. Calling Zinfandel "the Pinot Noir of warm climates" for its ability to transmit terroir, he makes two releases from differing microclimates.
What Does It Taste Like?
Fragrant cedar, cassis, blackberry, allspice and cinnamon are echoed in the elegant, aerodynamically streamlined mouth of
alluring, juicy bright red fruits supported by silky tannins and bright acidity, with a forever-long finish that keeps on pumping out mouth-filling juiciness. All sites are balanced to allow earlier picking from four different outstanding Napa Valley Cabernet terrains:
- Spring Mountain fruit from Pride Mountain
- Stag's Leap hillside from Chimney Rock
- Valley Floor from Caymus in Rutherford
- Lewelling in St. Helena
Also encompassing the diverse range of drainage, mineral characteristics and structures of Aiken, Bale. Bressa
and Cortina soils.
Ratings / Reviews:
Rank #1 Wine - Imbibe Top 100 Wines of 2009 (2006 vintage):"I first tasted the wines of Sequum back in 2005 and I knew then that this was one very special producer. Back in those
days, I would get three six-packs of Paul's wine. Over the years I have been lucky enough to get much more. (Thanks
Paul!) Owner Paul Skinner is the proprietor of Terra Spase, a consulting service that offers advice on what grapes to
plant where. Sequum (pronounced SEE-kwam) is the geological term for a vertical sequence of soil layers. His past and present client list reads like a who's who of California's most sought after labels. Pride, Bryant Family, Marcassin, Caymus, Colgin, Araujo, Kistler, Harlan Estate, Staglin, Peter Michael and Sloan, among others, all trust Paul's knowledge. Paul's cab is a blend of grapes from four distinct soils: Ailen, Bale, Bressa and Contina. He says most growers don't have access to these four types of soils. The resulting wine is bold and opulent with savory flavors and ample tannins.
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of ripe blackberry, kirsch and raspbery; flavors of lush dried cherry and forest floor notes. This bottle has fruit from the same vineyards that Caymus purchases from for their Special Select bottling. We sold over sixty cases of his 2005 Cabernet last year and we like the 2006 even more. This is without question the best Cabemet in our store under seventy-five bucks. Sequum also produces a Zinfandel that made our list as well. Look for both these wines, they won't last long." -David
90+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2004 vintage):"The dark ruby/purple-colored 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa has classic loamy, earthy scents interwoven with black cherry, bay leaf, and cassis. Some new oak is subtle and complements rather that dominates the fruit. The wine has the opulence of a 2004, full body, and impressively sweet tannins and overall harmony. Drink it over the next 15 years.
Proprietor Paul Skinner is best known in California for his high-tech company that utilizes global positioning satellites for detailed images of soil and topography analysis. Additionally, he has a bevy of weather stations that provide remarkably detailed information to vineyard owners. Lastly, he also makes wine under this Sequum label. This allows him to put some of his methods from his consulting service, called Terraspase, into practice." -Robert Parker (12/2007)
92 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine (2003 vintage):"A tremendous effort in a bold, opulent style, with layers of rich, extracted blackberry, currant, kirsch and savory, toasty oak flavors that are bold and potent yet in proportion to the wine. Ample tannins for short-term cellaring. Best from 2007 through 2013. 332 cases made." –JL (12/31/2005)
