Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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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)
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.