Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in 70% new French oak, represents 480 cases of sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. Fresh-roasted mocha-infused coffee notes interwoven with blackberry, cassis, blueberry and a touch of white flowers emerge from this opaque purple-colored, full-bodied, velvety smooth and luscious wine.
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Wine Spectator
Streamlined and pleasantly austere, with dusty earth and dried berry flavors at the core, showing accents of cedar and anise on the finish. Refined.
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James Suckling
A big and rich wine with loads of fruit and new wood. Full-throttle and powerful but not completely overbearing. Pretty tannin tension at the finish.
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.