Winemaker Notes
The 2015 vintage opens with a bouquet of violets, dark espresso, sweet hay, and the eucalyptus trees that dot the hillsides around the Estate. On the palate, we find aromas and flavors of black cherries, bramble berries, Mission figs, Campari, mint chocolate, oranges, and mountain blueberries. The firm structure and mouth-coating tannins display the warm, sun-drenched exposure of the vineyard and combine with a rich freshness and aromas of Valrhona cocoa powder, tobacco, saddle leather, and basalt that continue to evolve through the long, and well-framed finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Thickly layered, featuring plum, fig and black currant reduction notes, as well as charcoal and loam details, this has a brooding persona. Streaks of bay leaf and tobacco lend cut and lift, with an alder hint adding range at the end.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Jammy blackberry and dark chocolate mark the midpalate richness of this wine, which is blended with 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, all of the grapes estate-grown. Dusty dried herb makes a statement on the nose as the lean, elegant style comes to the fore.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Just northeast of Napa city, Atlas Peak boasts some of Napa Valley’s highest elevation vineyards. Here the intense sunlight coupled with cool, nighttime temperatures produce grapes that are perfectly ripe, balanced and concentrated. The appellation is rich in volcanic soils and excels in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.