Winemaker Notes
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lovely red with a creamy texture of ripe tannins and chocolate. Berry and orange-peel character. Medium to full body. Flavorful finish. 56% cabernet franc and 44% merlot. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Close to an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the 2017 Red Blend Right Bank has wonderfully complex notes of spiced red and black fruits, forest floor, chocolate, and dried incense. Silky, seamless, and beautifully textured, it's not a blockbuster, but it has terrific balance, loads of character, and will keep for over a decade.
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.