Winemaker Notes
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes come from three highly respected sites in Napa Valley—the eastern Oakville mountains, central St. Helena, and eastern St. Helena at the base of Howell Mountain. This proprietary blend from the heart of the Napa Valley artfully layers the power and depth from mountain vineyards with the delicacy and elegance of the valley floor.
In the glass, aromas of red rose and crushed strawberries greet you. The smooth, round palate offers flavors of Japanese plum, warm cherry, and milk chocolate. A hint of crème de cassis and soft currant linger on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2016 Red Blend Amulet is the same blend as the Amulet and is similarly purple-colored, with plenty of blackberry and black cherry fruit, notes of chocolate, dried earth, and tobacco, full body, and a rounded, voluptuous texture that expands nicely on the palate. This is another sexy, beautifully textured wine from this estate that can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Comprised of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon with a 1% splash of Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Proprietary Red Amulet charges forth with gregarious notions of crushed blackcurrants, warm blackberries and Black Forest cake plus hints of violets, black tea, tobacco and wood smoke. Full-bodied, firmly textured and jam-packed with expressive black fruits and spicy layers, this beauty is built like a brick house with a very long finish, all promising great cellaring potential.
Rating: 93+ -
James Suckling
Attractively ripe blueberries and toasty oak that brings plenty of spice to the nose. Leads to a very plush and flavorful palate with a wealth of ripe dark plums and blackberries. Ultra ripe, this has some heat at the finish. Drink or hold.
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.