Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A focused, powerful yet polished Bordeaux-style blend that offers great depth of fruit, strong oak spices and a big mouthfeel. Made from 76% cabernet sauvignon, 22% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. The palate shows cocoa, graphite, iron, orange zest and deep blueberries. Two-thirds Oakville fruit. Aged in 65% new French oak for 21 months.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and richly detailed, this red lets a wave of warmed black currant preserves, steeped black cherry and plum puree glide through, carried by a serious matrix of polished, fine-grained tannins and augmented by notes of alder, walnut husk, smoldering tobacco and warm cast iron. Savory, menthol and dried violet hints all flicker in the background. Built for the cellar. Best from 2026 through 2045. 820 cases made.
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.