Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
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Wine
Enthusiast
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Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville exhibits a similar opaque purple color and appears to be slightly richer than the 2007, as preposterous as that may sound. This thick, unctuously textured Cabernet is loaded with creme de cassis, charcoal, earth and spice characteristics and displays an explosively long finish. Both vintages are great, but the 2008 might nudge out the 2007. However, this will not be definitively decided for 10-15 years. This is another 20-year wine. 94+
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2009-
Wine
Enthusiast
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Robert
Parker
A gradual and deliberate shift from conventional, reductive farming methods to more sustainable principles has established a naturally animated vineyard ecosystem. Organic practices now encourage plant and insect diversity among the vines, rather than trying to vanquish it. The soil is reawakened. The vineyards have been patiently replanted and the hillsides cultivated to allow terraces to grow in tandem with vines. Always a producer of super-premium fruit, Oakville Ranch is now yielding grapes of a quality unmatched by the vast majority of Napa Valley growers.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.