Winemaker Notes
The 2015 AXR Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep, dark cherry with touches of magenta and Ferrari red. On the nose, beautiful spice like thyme, rosemary, cedar, peaches and plums with bubble bath, chocolate, black truffle lingering on pine needle and dark honey. Round dense entrance on the palate, evolving on a velvety fruity palate lingering on freshness of tannins with touches of Mirabelle plum, red apple pie, pears and mocha.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A dense and seamless red with lots of blackberry and blueberry character. Full body and firm, seamless tannins. Bright and vivid fruit. This is one to sit back and sip through the night.
-
Tasting Panel
Deep color and a rich, ripe nose; bountiful flavors of lush black fruit appear on the velvety and dense palate around a firm core of acidity. Great balance throughout and a long, smooth finish
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Cut from the same cloth, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is also beautiful, with similar black and blue fruits, dried violets, graphite, and Christmas spice aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, opulent and sexy, with sweet tannin, it too shows its vintage nicely in its slightly more ripe, exuberant, exotic style. Drink it over the coming 15-20 years.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This is a classically elegant, structured wine, subdued in tannin and oak. It sings a song of savory intrigue, from tobacco, cedar and clove to currant and cassis. It offers flavor and texture within quiet interludes of integrated ripeness.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with crème de cassis, plum preserves and cedar notions with suggestions of Indian spices and balsamic. Medium to full-bodied, ripe and spicy in the mouth, it has a solid structure of chewy tannins and a long, berry preserves-laced finish.
-
Wine Spectator
Offers a mix of juicy dark berry, anise, cedar, gravel and spice flavors, ending with firm, ripe tannins. The touch of woody bitterness is nothing to worry about and should subside with time.
The history of the AXR estate is compounded in layers; rooted in historic tales of fierce Native American hunting grounds, wild west pioneers and the first woman vintner of California in 1886. It has changed hands over the course of 134 years to become a brewery, restaurant, inn, winery and saloon. Tales of love, lust, heartbreak, murders and great fortune create an imaginative backdrop to the present-day vision of AXR. Named after the AxR rootstalk (Aramond x Rupestris) that was so prominent in building the modern California wine industry, AXR Winery pays homage to the so-called "roots" of the industry. By utilizing modern and innovative techniques in the cellar, AXR extract the uniqueness of Napa Valley’s soils into wines enjoyable now, or many years from now. They start with hand-picked grapes, naturally fermented in small handcrafted lots, add in the expertise and palette of renowned consulting winemaker Jean Hoefliger, and you have a recipe for stunning wines that promote even better conversations, more laughs, and an invitation for others to join the group!
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.