An Elegant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Wine With Finesse-Driven Power

Each piece of cypress wood was precious as they came from a Japanese forest that was most prized for its timber, every piece aged for over 20 years, increasing their structural durability. The construction workers were not typical in the sense of hammering nails, gluing or using metal in the structure; no, it was as if they were artisans who had treated each segment of lumber with reverence as if they were lost artifacts. Yet, unlike an artifact, they use their extremely sharp tools to cut out shapes with precision, creating an ideal joint between two pieces of wood – no nails needed. But if just one of these joints is a little off, then it may be detrimental for the traditional Japanese home being built; in rare circumstances, a structure can last 1,000 years if enough excruciating care and detail are taken with each section, such as one of the oldest wooden structures in the world, the Hōryū-ji Temple in Nara, Japan.

Rosemary Cakebread, winemaker and proprietor of Gallica Wine located in St. Helena, Napa Valley in California, is rooted in the best aspects of Japanese and California culture, and the results are some of the most aromatic, elegant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines with breathtaking purity at their core.

Intertwining Roads

Rosemary traveled a lot as a kid as her father’s work had taken them around the U.S. and, eventually, to Japan. Her family lived there for four years when she was an adolescent, and it opened her eyes to a whole new world. Over time, she became inspired by Japanese ceramics and art, evident in her wine labels. Much of Japanese aesthetic philosophy lies in accepting what nature gives and avoiding adulterating that at all costs, as once it is altered to fit a mold that it was not meant to fit, it loses its profound authenticity. This concept is expressed in art and plays a significant role in dealing with nature.

She finished high school in Sonoma, California, as her family wanted to make sure they relocated again so she could have an American education. But it took a little while for her to find her place in the small town of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, after living in a huge city like Tokyo. Just like how a mound of clay will inform the artist of how to shape it, bringing out its natural qualities and essence, it seems that Rosemary’s inner clay was destined to become a winemaker as she got a summer job on the bottling line at the historic Sebastiani winery. She was utterly overwhelmed with the legacy of the place – the founder came to Sonoma in the late 1800s as a stonemason and mined the Sonoma hills for cobblestones that were used to establish San Francisco’s streets, and after a time, he saved enough money to start his own winery. It was the type of story that seemed like an impossible fairytale, but there she was, in one of those dreams that seemed to come to fruition that was so particular to California.

Those two periods in her life, happening at an age when one is open to major growth and evolution, intertwined into building the foundation for Rosemary’s wine career.

Gallica Wine

After graduating from U.C. Davis’s Viticulture and Enology program, she worked at a few different wineries, with Spottswoode located in St. Helena, Napa Valley, notably being one of them. Their vineyard was certified organic, so Rosemary received a lot of hands-on experience working with organic vineyards at a very early stage of her career, and today, with her Gallica wines, she only works with organically farmed grapes. Despite loving the places she worked, she wanted to make her own wines where every choice represented her mission to find the finesse within powerful wines, such as those Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced in Oakville, Napa Valley.

Rosemary’s Napa Cabernets have garnered a small, strong following since she has quietly made them without needing to promote them on a grand scale as she only produces around 1,000 cases per year. She makes other wines, such as an Albariño white wine from Lodi and a Grenache from Sonoma, all from organically certified vineyards. Yet, she is always grateful for those who appreciate her wines enough to become part of her mailing list membership, as those are the devoted customers that drive her to keep delivering that beautiful purity that she has become known for over the years. She will also keep her cellar stocked with past vintages, holding back more of the best years to release them to Gallica Wine members once she feels that they have evolved to express other fascinating facets of that vintage.

Trusting What Nature Gives

“I try to build elegance at every stage,” noted Rosemary, from the vineyards through all the different stages in the winery. But now she is taking it a step further, a big step further, as she and her husband are replanting their estate vineyard in St. Helena, Napa Valley. They pulled out the vines on their two-acre property after the 2024 harvest, then prepared the ground – the previous vineyard was certified organic, and the future one will be as well. A cover crop was planted on their low-fertility Cortina soils, and she will plant Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4, which produces low yields with small berries that will be head-trained as bush vines, and she intends to dry farm. Hence, much care is being taken to set up the vineyard so that irrigation will not be needed. Since there are only two acres, it will be a tiny production, but it will bring Rosemary closer to her mission of building elegance at every stage.

Rosemary knows the idea of looking for elegance in Cabernet Sauvignon is counterintuitive as it is known as a big, structured wine that can age for decades, and she is replanting a vineyard that will seemingly produce very concentrated fruit. Yet true elegance comes from allowing nature to create its own sense of balance, understanding that one’s main job is to protect that essence, which is more profound than any highly manipulated process could achieve. Rosemary noted that she is always looking to keep those beautiful aromatics, finesse in the mouthfeel and potential for extended aging, but if she can get that with a wine that is also a showstopper that, in her mind, is when it becomes amazing. She feels that she has found that with the 2023 vintage, which is thrilling to note considering her ability to make uniquely exquisite wines even in less celebrated vintages, so one can only imagine what she can achieve in an exceptional year.

Just like in the Japanese culture, she will always respect what nature will give, just like an artist needs to respect the essence of that piece of wood or mound of clay. So she embraces the generosity of the California sun that allows for ripe fruit and tannins by not adding too much in the vineyards or the winery which would take away from the pure expression of what nature is giving in a particular moment, and like the traditional Japanese home, going beyond what is necessary to skillfully and patiently carve out those pieces that form structurally sound joints so nails are not needed – allowing for the beauty of the wood pieces to speak for themselves.

2022 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc from the Oakville Ranch Vineyard located between 900-1,200 feet in elevation that is California Certified Organic Farming. The 2022 vintage received plenty of water during the winter, fortifying the soil well for the vines to successfully handle the warm, dry season with a heat wave during Labor Day weekend; those who picked before the heat wave, like this vineyard, did very well. Lifted aromatics immediately enchant with multilayered notes of pressed rose petals, forest floor and bright red cherry fruit with a touch of plushness on the palate and fine textured tannins with lots of brambly fruit that has a lot of drive on the expressive finish.

2016 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc. Rosemary noted that this was a “modern yet cooler growing season.” An inviting wine with notes of blueberry cobbler intermixed with engaging layers of fresh thyme and tar with flavors of red cherry coulis and tobacco leaf with a background aroma of graphite that has silky tannins and a linear finish that concentrates the flavors into a powerful articulation of its core notes.

2015 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. The fourth year in a row of drought and cold weather during flowering led to a lower crop yield, and many excellent wines have been made, yet it is not as consistent across the board as the 2016 and 2013 vintages. Intriguing nose of smoldering earth that is balanced by perfumed notes of violets and warm raspberries with juicy cassis flavors with a firmer structure than 2016 yet there is a graceful quality to the texture with a fierce minerality underneath the delectable fruit.

2013 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. Rosemary noted that the 2013 was “a classic vintage for the Napa Valley.” A potent terroir-driven nose with gravelly rocks, Mediterranean brush and crushed stones with dark fruit flavors slightly enhanced by a note of Black Forest cake and scents of Earl Grey tea and every nuance of this wine is interwoven with a delineated minerality that is all wrapped up in etched tannins that form an intricate lace-like structure.

2011 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. A “cold 2011 predicted for doom aging into greatness,” as she illustrates with this lovely 2011, after 14 years of aging, that has over-delivered by evolving into a deliciously complex wine. A multidimensional bouquet with an impressive complexity of strawberry compote sprinkled with ribbons of basil with a hint of black pepper intermixed with tree bark and cigar box with well-integrated tannins that has a satin finish.

Below is the Albariño white wine and Grenache red wine that Rosemary produces:

2023 Gallica, Albariño, Terra Alta Vineyard, Clements Hills, Lodi, California: 100% Albariño from the Terra Alta Vineyard, which the Bokisch family organically farms on gravelly clay loam with vines sourced by massal selection (using the cuttings of old vines to propagate new ones) from the homeland of Albariño located in Rías Baixas, Spain. A tantalizing nose with lemon confit and oyster shell and a touch of white pepper with white peach and lemon curd on the palate with a saline minerality and crisp acidity.

2021 Gallica, Grenache, Rossi Ranch, Sonoma Valley, California: 100% Grenache from the Rossi Ranch (California Certified Organic Farming) owned by Sandy Otellini and farmed by Phil Coturri’s team that has soils of fine clay loam with some light volcanic ash. Rosemary produces this in a Burgundian style by using some whole grape bunches during fermentation. Bursting with impressions of mingled bright cherries and mulberries with candied lilacs and vibrant notes of orange zest with an incredible juiciness with black raspberry liqueur and a round texture that caresses the palate, finishing with a mineral-infused flavorful finish.