Winemaker Notes
Crafted in a rich, concentrated European style, this wine pairs well with flavorful, full-bodied meals, and will reward those with the patience to cellar it.
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, shows beautifully pure blueberry and blackberry fruit, incense and delicate floral notes, stunning concentration, purity, and a full-bodied mouthfeel that builds incrementally to a splendid finish of close to 45+ seconds. Certainly I can understand why they deem this a Reserve. They made less than 6,000 bottles of this wine that was aged in a combination of 91% French oak and 9% American oak. It should drink well for the next 20+ years.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.