Winemaker Notes
Blend: 61% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Displays the house style of accessible fruit, in the way of blackberries, cherries, currants and cocoa, wrapped in refined but firm tannins. Drink it now with Cabernet-friendly food, especially a great char-broiled steak.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Complex blend of cherries, spices and cocoa with wisps of sweet spices and its supple, somewhat rounded yet decently balanced palatal impacts.
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.