Arkenstone NVD Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced all from higher elevation sites, the 2017 Arkenstone NVD Cabernet Sauvignon offers a mountain fruit profile of pure crème de cassis, toasted spice, brioche, dried herbs, and earth. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, with tons of character. It's going to keep for 20+ years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This comes from eastern Napa hillside vineyards in Calistoga, Howell Mountain and Pritchard Hill, ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 feet in elevation. Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it was aged 22 months in 75% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon NVD charges forth with bombastic black cherries, cassis and tilled earth notes with sparks of Mediterranean herbs and charcuterie plus a waft of black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is tightly knit with firm, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the taut black fruit, finishing long and mineral laced.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Arkenstone Estate NVD Cabernet Sauvignon shows excellent depth and persistence. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of black fruit, earth, and clean rusticity. Pair it with a well-seasoned prime rib. (Tasted: February 20, 2020, Yountville, CA)
Other Vintages
2018-
Robert
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Jeb
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Our serious interest in wine and our families’ farming history perhaps made it inevitable that we would think about planting vineyards here. We knew we did not want to clear the site for an “industrial” vineyard but didn’t know whether the effort required of farming the small patches of open space using sustainable practices could be justified. Then, in early 1995, a good friend of ours, who grew up in a Napa Valley wine family and founded her own label, encouraged us. She arranged for an expert who consulted for top vineyards all over the world to come to the Napa Valley to evaluate a number of potential vineyard sites. He included Arkenstone on this visit. Test holes were dug, and on a cloudy wet day we tramped around the property talking about dirt, drainage, exposures, air movement, and, most importantly, the promise of the site. His conclusion was that wine grapes of very high quality could be produced here, and that Arkenstone was indeed a special site. We didn’t then know to say “terroir” but understood that the grapes and the wine from these vineyards could over time become a recognizable expression of our site, climate, farming and winemaking. We decided to make this promise a reality.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.