Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This distinctive blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Sangiovese, and 10% Petite Sirah may be Napa's finest interpretation of a proprietary red wine from Italy's Tuscan coastline. A dense ruby/purple color accompanies sweet notes of black fruit, charcoal, licorice, new saddle leather, and dried herbs. This rich, multi-layered, medium to full-bodied red possesses a lush, hedonistic mouthfeel, complex aromatics, and a fabulous finish. This is the real deal!
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Wine Spectator
A richly flavored, smoothly textured wine that weaves together lots of pretty currant, cedar, coffee and blackberry fruit, but is also quite expansive. Well-focused, it's complex and concentrated without being too heavy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah.
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Wine Enthusiast
At first this is very woody, bordering on sappy. But with time the wood softens, leaving ripe and bright cassis, plum and black cherry. The finish is toasty and creamy. And while it feels full and hearty, the wine isn’t hard or tannic. An interesting blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah.
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.