Proficio
The wine
Proficio is an homage to the ancient Antinori family motto “Te Duce Proficio”, which translates to “Following your guide, I flourish.”
Vinification
Proficio was first produced in the 2019 vintage, the culmination of thirty-three years of studying the Atlas Peak mountain slopes to unveil their full potential. Many improvements over the years contributed to the creation of this wine, fostered by a drive to continually innovate in both the vineyards and winery. In 2009, large sections of the vineyards were replanted in accordance with the most up-to-date viticultural science. New clonal selections better suited to the mountain landscape, tighter vine spacing to reduce yield and create greater concentration in the fruit, and changes in vine row orientation and trellising all contributed to new levels of expressive character and quality derived from the Antinori Napa Valley vineyards.
A new fermentation cellar, located inside the cave network, was designed specifically to accommodate the intricacies of mountain winemaking. Completed in 2018, the cellar exclusively features diminutive four-ton capacity fermentation tanks, which allow each minute hillside parcel to be picked at optimum ripeness and fermented separately to preserve the identity of each individual site. The extraction process is carefully controlled with the use of a device that gently submerges the cap of skins, preventing overextraction of robust mountain tannins yielded from small, thick-skinned berries – quite unusual for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon but perfect for the special character of Antinori Napa Valley mountain fruit.
Proficio is an exemplar of refinement and a profound manifestation of this place, expressing the fundamental essence of a structured yet elegant Atlas Peak mountain wine.
Winemaking
The name ‘Proficio’ (pro-FEE-cho) is an homage to the ancient Antinori family motto “Te Duce Proficio”, which translates to “Following your guide, I flourish.” Proficio embodies the pinnacle of quality and expression found on the Antinori Napa Valley estate, produced by the steepest and rockiest south-west oriented mountainside vineyards on the property.
The Proficio blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet are harvested in the cool, early morning hours and immediately taken to the estate winery. With meticulous care, after destemming and sorting, the whole berries are transferred via hopper to conical four-ton fermentation tanks. Each vineyard section is fermented individually to maintain the distinctive characteristics of each, a testament to our dedication and passion for winemaking. After a cold soak, the tanks are warmed, and fermentation begins. We utilize our advanced pneumatic punch down system for cap management, ensuring the best possible extraction of flavors and colors from the skins. The new wine is removed from the skins after approximately two weeks and racked into 100% new French oak barrels. Here, it undergoes complete malolactic fermentation. The wine ages for approximately 20 months, during which time the wine in each barrel was regularly tasted. These tastings were crucial in making the selections for the final blend, a process that reflects our commitment to producing the highest quality wine.
Historical Data
The Antinori Napa Valley Estate was born from the dream of Marchese Piero Antinori to create a sublime expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir after his first visit to Napa Valley in 1966. Twenty years later, in 1986, the Marchese invested in Napa Valley: a 1,200-acre site of rugged high-elevation terrain in a remote corner of the Vaca Mountain range, the finest parcels of which he transformed into immaculate vineyards over the past 37 years.
Proficio is an homage to the ancient Antinori family motto “Te Duce Proficio”, which translates to “Following your guide, I flourish.”
Proficio was first produced in the 2019 vintage, the culmination of thirty-three years of studying the Atlas Peak mountain slopes to unveil their full potential. Many improvements over the years contributed to the creation of this wine, fostered by a drive to continually innovate in both the vineyards and winery. In 2009, large sections of the vineyards were replanted in accordance with the most up-to-date viticultural science. New clonal selections better suited to the mountain landscape, tighter vine spacing to reduce yield and create greater concentration in the fruit, and changes in vine row orientation and trellising all contributed to new levels of expressive character and quality derived from the Antinori Napa Valley vineyards.
A new fermentation cellar, located inside the cave network, was designed specifically to accommodate the intricacies of mountain winemaking. Completed in 2018, the cellar exclusively features diminutive four-ton capacity fermentation tanks, which allow each minute hillside parcel to be picked at optimum ripeness and fermented separately to preserve the identity of each individual site. The extraction process is carefully controlled with the use of a device that gently submerges the cap of skins, preventing overextraction of robust mountain tannins yielded from small, thick-skinned berries – quite unusual for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon but perfect for the special character of Antinori Napa Valley mountain fruit.
Proficio is an exemplar of refinement and a profound manifestation of this place, expressing the fundamental essence of a structured yet elegant Atlas Peak mountain wine.
The name ‘Proficio’ (pro-FEE-cho) is an homage to the ancient Antinori family motto “Te Duce Proficio”, which translates to “Following your guide, I flourish.” Proficio embodies the pinnacle of quality and expression found on the Antinori Napa Valley estate, produced by the steepest and rockiest south-west oriented mountainside vineyards on the property.
The Proficio blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet are harvested in the cool, early morning hours and immediately taken to the estate winery. With meticulous care, after destemming and sorting, the whole berries are transferred via hopper to conical four-ton fermentation tanks. Each vineyard section is fermented individually to maintain the distinctive characteristics of each, a testament to our dedication and passion for winemaking. After a cold soak, the tanks are warmed, and fermentation begins. We utilize our advanced pneumatic punch down system for cap management, ensuring the best possible extraction of flavors and colors from the skins. The new wine is removed from the skins after approximately two weeks and racked into 100% new French oak barrels. Here, it undergoes complete malolactic fermentation. The wine ages for approximately 20 months, during which time the wine in each barrel was regularly tasted. These tastings were crucial in making the selections for the final blend, a process that reflects our commitment to producing the highest quality wine.
The Antinori Napa Valley Estate was born from the dream of Marchese Piero Antinori to create a sublime expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir after his first visit to Napa Valley in 1966. Twenty years later, in 1986, the Marchese invested in Napa Valley: a 1,200-acre site of rugged high-elevation terrain in a remote corner of the Vaca Mountain range, the finest parcels of which he transformed into immaculate vineyards over the past 37 years.
Antinori Napa Valley
The Antinori Napa Valley Estate was born from the dream of Marchese Piero Antinori to create a sublime expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir after his first visit to Napa Valley in 1966.
