Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A fabulous effort, and perhaps Barnett’s best wine in twenty years, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Hill possesses an inky/blue/purple color as well as an exquisite nose of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blue, red, and black fruits, full-bodied power, a layered, multidimensional personality, and serious concentration and length. This classic Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon should age effortlessly for 30+ years. Bravo!
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Wine Enthusiast
A tremendous wine that easily merits being Barnett’s most expensive release. Shows the ripe blackberry and black currant flavors and new oak that are so easily achieved, with yet near perfect tannins and a dryness unusual in a Cabernet this fruity. The combination of opposites makes this mountain wine noteworthy, as well as ageable. Now–2017.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.