Amici Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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This 2016 Amici Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon highlights the lush, ripe fruit and Rutherford Dust of valley floor vineyards, along with the structure and ageability of Napa Valley’s best mountain appellations.
Aromas of dark roasted vanilla bean, cedar box, black currant, and black olive with savory hints of rosemary. Full bodied palate of rich dark coco powder, soy, sweet dark cherry and boysenberry juice. Lush tannins leading to a finish or refreshing mountain tannins and brown spice.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve comes mostly from the George III and Missouri Hopper Vineyard and is a cellar selection. It’s another deep, rich, powerful wine from this estate that has lots of gravelly minerality and dark chocolate notes as well as terrific cassis and blackberry fruits. About as classic as they come, it’s a smoking value and certainly competes with the single vineyards, which are more than twice the price. Want a great Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for under 100 dollars? Buy this.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Fruit comes predominantly from Beckstoffer Georges III, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper and Beckstoffer Bourn. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers beautiful crème de cassis, preserved plums, Black Forest cake and camphor with hints of chocolate box, aniseed and lavender plus a waft of pencil shavings. Full, firm and taut, it is packed with layered, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and structured.
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James Suckling
Aromas of blueberries and blackberries with hints of flowers and oyster shell. Medium to full body and firm, silky tannins that are polished and very pretty. Tight and focused. Lovely finish. Try in 2019.
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Over thirty years in the making, Amici Cellars is a blend of the old and the new. Preserving its legacy and producing wines of exceptional character is the unwavering commitment of proprietors John Harris and Bob Shepard, who attribute success in large part to the age-old adage “nothing replaces hard work,” but also their intuition and ability to capture the most significant opportunity in a decisive moment.
The turning point was 2009, when after more than 15 years of making wine as a passion project with modest distribution, the two friends fully committed to taking their adventure and turning it into a prestigious Napa Valley winemaking estate. The United States was facing the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s, costly Cabernets no longer flying off shelves, but John and Bob have always trusted in their intuition and a core belief - bottle beautiful, high quality wines that are accessible to enjoy every day and for age-worthy collections.
They have decidedly chosen a talented team, seasoned winemaker Tony Biagi, a Napa Valley veteran with more than 25-years-experience, and associate winemaker Dante West, a rising star whose energy matches his true-to-varietal wines. Together they bring decades of relationships with outstanding growers in the field that, combined with their craftsmanship, creates the best possible capsule of each vineyard site, a combination of the soil, climate and people who farm it.
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.