Winemaker Notes
This year's blend achieves full-bodied and elegant, offering layered, ripe fruit impressions - blackberries, cassis, and ripe blueberries. The mouth feel is dense and round, with smooth, expertly structured tannins and subtle dark chocolate, vanilla bean and light spice notes leading to an extended and lasting finish.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 7% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This offers a very spicy and attractively fragrant nose with spiced plum cake, raisins and red berries. The palate has a very succulent feel with some rich, supple and deep-set flavors on offer. A blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon, 8% malbec and 7% merlot. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec and 7% Merlot. Deep ruby in color, it has a mineral-driven nose with aromas of cast-iron pan, prosciutto, pencil lead, leather, soy, baked blackberry and blackcurrant with bright red-fruit sparks and floral hints. The palate is medium to full-bodied and tightly coiled at this stage, with a lightly chewy frame and a long, lifted finish. 2,270 cases produced.
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Jesse Katz has a way of coaxing greatness from the appellation and this wine is case in point. Juicy red and blue fruit meet a tight grip of tannins, accented by clove, cinnamon and toasted oak. The finish is rich and supple.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (there are small amounts of Malbec and Merlot in the blend) is a solid 2017 with plenty of cassis and currant fruits, notes of violets, tobacco, and gravelly earth, medium to full body, and big, chewy, drying tannins on the finish, which can be common in the vintage. Give it a year or three to let the tannins calm down, then enjoy over the following decade. Rating: 90+
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.