Red Wines    Cabernet Sauvignon    Napa Valley    California   
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My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 12/2/2008
(search item no. 92229)
collectible wine
The Wine News rating: 92 points
The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
PRICE ON 12/2/2008: $89.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 92 points
2002 Wine & Spirits rating: 93 points
2002 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 91 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
2001 Wine Enthusiast rating: 94 points
2001 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 94 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2000 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
2000 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 92 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
1999 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 93 points
1997 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points

Winemaker's Notes:

Our Estate Grown wines are blended using the best lots of our Estate ranches. In any given harvest we have 30 or more separate lots of Estate wine. With these vineyards, we harvest the grapes at natural maturity, going through vineyard sites several times, picking only the ripe fruit with each pass. The final blend for our Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon is approachable in its youth, with a soft texture and notable finesse, but also has the structure to carry forward for a decade or longer.

This is a full-bodied wine with an integrated palate structure, firm ripe tannins, and a lingering finish. The aroma is bright with a mix of raspberry, black currant, blueberry, and a floral note underscored by tobacco and oak. The flavors are subdued but complex with ripe cherry, blackberry, and blueberry followed by and a spicy hint of pepper.

81% Cabernet Sauvignon
10% Cabernet Franc
5% Petit Verdot
4% Merlot

"Deep inky crimson hue with a fuchsia rim. A meld of aromas sweet maple, walnut and black fruit with a hint of blue cheese. Soft palate-feel on entry with earthy, spicy flavors that pick up a nutty appeal. Seamless integration of fruit and oak-laced tannins. Tart influences on the finish with a sprinkling of gravelly terroir."
-Wine News

"A dense ruby/purple-hued effort displaying a big, sweet bouquet of chocolate-charred black currant and blackberry fruit. With medium to full body, supple tannin, and outstanding opulence as well as purity, it can be drunk now and over the next 10-15 years."
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

My Notes:

Additional wines from Duckhorn Vineyards:

About Duckhorn Vineyards:

Founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, Duckhorn Vineyards is dedicated to the production of ultra-premium wines. The winery owns more than 180 acres of prime Napa Valley vineyard land with an emphasis on soils in alluvial fans and mountain terrain. Using fruit with intense character, winemaker Mark Beringer produces elegant and age worthy wines. Though best known for Merlot, the winery also produces outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.