Winemaker Notes
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A full-bodied red with aromas and flavors of dried blueberries, blackcurrants, pine, smoke and walnuts. Firm, chalky tannins. Intense flavors with some bitter-berry character, balanced by fresh acidity and a tight structure. Try from 2023.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Proprietary Red Wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. It has a solid nose of black and blue fruits as well as plenty of spice, bouquet garni, and graphite, with a kiss of minerality. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and elegant, it's a lively, balanced red blend to enjoy any time over the coming 10-12 years or so.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Proprietary Red comes skipping out of the glass with open-knit, carefree scents of baked black cherries, warm cassis and blueberry pie plus touches of pencil shavings and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with mouth-coating, crunchy black and blue fruits, supported by a solid line of grainy tannins and lively freshness, finishing long with an herbal lift.
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.