Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Perhaps the finest example I have ever tasted of the flagship offering, the 2007 Bacio Divino (Cabernet Sauvignon and small quantities of Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, and Merlot) boasts copious aromas of sweet creme de cassis fruit intermixed with wild strawberries, spice box, loamy soil, pepper, and roasted herbs. In the mouth, the wine reveals pure, rich, opulent fruit, medium to full body, no hard edges, and a luscious, fleshy style that is difficult to resist. It should age easily for 5-10 years, but it is already irresistible.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Interesting for its mix of sweet berries and currants along with hints of green olives and a slight tangy twist, this full-bodied bottling is very nicely balanced overall even if a bit fleshy at the front of the palate. Like its mate bottled under Janzen, this wine has an outgoing and easily tasted personality yet boasts sufficient underlying structure to reward cellar aging.
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.