Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Pleasing flavors of black currant, sweet tobacco, bay laurel and graphite are carried on a well-structured and refined frame of persistent tannins and mouthwatering acidity. This is a well-crafted Cabernet Sauvignon with the tenacity to age, expressive of where it is grown.
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Wine Spectator
This has a well-defined violet note out front, followed quickly by dark currant plum reduction flavors lined with graphite and backed by sweet tobacco. Shows solid grip too, with a lingering twang of iron. Very solid for the vintage. Best from 2024 through 2036.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals expressive notes of mocha, licorice and dark chocolate, plus plenty of mixed red and black cherries. It's full-bodied, framed by soft tannins, but it still retains some dustiness on the lingering finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made by the team of Vine Hill Ranch and functioning as a second wine of the estate, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a ripe, medium to full-bodied, balanced Oakville Cabernet offering plenty of cherry and darker currant-like fruit, some spicy oak and graphite notes, solid mid-palate depth, and outstanding length.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.