Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
By Bacio Divino. If a little less immediate on the nose to start, this very deep and well-defined Cabernet fills out impressively given a bit of time in the glass, and it exhibits an increasing sense of layered complexity as it does. It is unbashedly ripe in flavor with terrific fruity concentration and all of the loamy, sweet oak complexity that its aromas promise, and yet, while a sizeable wine to be sure, it never once threatens to be too much. Its ongoing richness, its mannerly tannins and its winemaking polish combine to tempt early drinking, but this is an eminently cellar-worthy wine of structured balance and considerable depth that deserves to be laid away for a no fewer than five years and will easily grow for a decade or more.
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.