Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Immense without being weighty, with dense earth- and tobacco-laced currant and dark berry notes, showing shades of espresso, dill, gravel pit and anise. Returns on the finish to a pure, rich aftertaste. Drink now through 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is slightly better, an anomaly given the vintage differences. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon harvested between October 24-31, it reveals more character, richness and dimension than its older sibling. Plenty of blue and black fruits intermixed with notes of camphor and subtle oak appear in this medium-bodied wine along with impressive fruit concentration, purity, texture and underlying minerality. This successful 2011 should drink well for a decade or more.
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.