Winemaker Notes
Blend: 47% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Right Bank Blend is a blend of 47% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, aged for 20 months in French oak, 75% new. Deep garnet-purple in color, it rolls effortlessly, seductively out of the glass with gorgeous scents of lavender, lilacs and baked black cherries, leading to a core of kirsch, warm cassis and chocolate box plus a waft of bouquet garni. The full-bodied palate delivers bright, crunchy fruit, supported by fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long, lively and mineral laced.
Rating: 96+?) -
Jeb Dunnuck
A beautiful, elegant, nuanced wine from Jennifer Williams, the 2018 Right Bank Blend (47% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot) gives up a great nose of blackberries, black cherries, violets, cigar wrapper, and cedary herbs. It’s medium to full-bodied and pure silk on the palate, with remarkable balance.
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.