Winemaker Notes
Blend: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Taken from the family crest on the label, Te Duce Proficio translates as ‘Following your guide, I flourish.’ Conceived as the estate’s finest wine, it is produced only in the best vintages. The 2021 offers a pure and expressive sense of the mountain terroir from the Antinori estate on Atlas Peak, showcasing sagebrush character, white pepper, and notes of salted dark chocolate. The tannins are ample yet superfine, stacked like delicate strands of mille-feuille and dusted with cocoa powder, while tobacco nuances weave throughout and graphite minerality extends the finish. There is a striking sense of refinement, energy, and poise in this gorgeous wine.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship is the 2021 Red Blend Proficio, a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet. It's clearly the biggest, richest wine in the lineup, yet it holds onto a classic vibe with its pure cassis, graphite, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil-driven aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulently textured on the palate, it has velvety tannins, a beautiful mouthfeel, moderate acidity, and a great finish. It should age like a top Bordeaux and have 15-20 years of prime drinking.
Rating: 95+ -
James Suckling
Beautiful fruit with dark and blue fruits, violets, fine chocolate and sweet licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, silky and polished with ultra-fine tannins. Long and even with creamy texture and delicious berry fruit. Attractive now, but better after 2025.
Antinori Napa Valley is a landmark achievement for the Antinori Family, whose winemaking legacy spans over six centuries. Applying their Old-World heritage and knowledge to unlock the highest potential of this mountain estate, the family has created New-World wines of finesse and refinement.
The Antinori Napa Valley Estate was born from the dream of Marchese Piero Antinori to create a sublime expression of Napa Valley mountain terroir after his first visit to Napa Valley in 1966. Twenty years later, in 1986, the Marchese invested in Napa Valley: a 1,200-acre site of rugged high-elevation terrain in a remote corner of the Vaca Mountain range within the Atlas Peak AVA, the finest parcels of which he transformed into immaculate vineyards over the past 37 years.
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.