Lail J. Daniel Cuvee 2003
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Parker
Robert
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While the 2003 J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it remains a "cuvee" as the wine is a blend of different lots of Cabernet coming from harvests of different vineyards on different dates. The select small lots were sourced from the Lail Vineyards estate on Howell Mountain and the Phillips Family Vine Hill Ranch in the Oakville appellation. Due to the painstaking and detailed selection of lots to marry into the final blend, just 800 cases were produced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lail’s flagship 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2003 J. Daniel Cuvee, is a 900-case effort made from two fruit sources, the Howell Mountain hillsides and the valley floor Vine Hill Vineyard near Yountville. The result is a gorgeously proportioned, dense purple-colored offering boasting a stunning nose of black currants, smoke, earth, and charcoal. Big and rich, with superb purity and great structure, but neither overbearing nor astringent...
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Robin Daniel Lail’s heritage began in 1879 with the founding of Inglenook Vineyards by her great -granduncle, the iconic Captain Gustave Niebaum. By the early 1890s, this brilliant man’s obsession for achieving the pinnacle of excellence earned Inglenook wines the status of being considered by many as the finest produced in the country.
The determination to achieve excellence was carried forward through the decades following Niebaum’s death in 1908, with a crescendo in the thirty years following the repeal of Prohibition under the meticulous, passionate stewardship of John Daniel, Jr., Robin’s father. The collection of Cabernets coming from his years of ownership is still celebrated today as some of the finest red wines on earth.
Although Inglenook was sold in 1964, the passion for winemaking did not fade. Robin inherited her father’s respect for tradition. After working as the personal assistant to her mentor, Robert Mondavi, for five years, she left in 1982 to co-found Dominus Estate with Christian Moueix. The following year she co-founded Merryvale Vineyards with Bill Harlan, serving as president for a decade, before finally launching on her eponymous venture, Lail Vineyards, with her two daughters in 1995. Today her family honors his legacy with their relentless pursuit to produce wines second to none.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.