Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Complex aromas of blackcurrants, tobacco and stones. Some oyster shell. Medium to full body, very fine tannins and a polished, refined, textured finish. A wine that harkens back to its traditions. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is soft and subdued, inviting in its full-bodied embrace of vanilla. With all five red Bordeaux varieties involved, it makes an impact, showcasing rich red berry, cassis and cherry, while a dusting of clove spice finds length on the finish.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
The “little brother” is all grown up with plenty of mass and direct claret-like character, and it is a more-than-able partner to its sibling above. It too has an admirable aging curve, although in this wine’s case, its fruit is a tad more forward and its tannins are a touch less imposing. Its mix of red cherries, dried currants, root beer and toasty oak lifts the wine towards the upper reaches of Cabernet achievement, and we would expect it to reach the first stages of maturity in four to seven years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Reserve Tapestry Proprietary Red Wine, which is another Bordeaux blend, raises the question: Is Beaulieu actually producing too many of these proprietary blends, instead of focusing on four or five top wines? In any event, this is a smooth, supple, delicious, front-end loaded style of wine for 2013, with elegant cedar wood, fruitcake and soil undertones intermixed with red and black cherries and blackcurrants. It is ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied, elegant and well-balanced. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.
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.