Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The purity of fruit here is terrific with licorice, black currant and oyster shell. Blackberry too. Full body. The finish is overwhelming with such great intensity and grip. High-tensioned austerity. Energetic and intense. Tannins are austere. Drink in 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The flagship wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, comes from a magnificent hillside vineyard overlooking Lake Hennessey (13 acres) and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has an incredible track record, with some legendary efforts such as the 1995, 1997, and most recent vintages since 2005, as well as the 2013 all beauties. The classic purity of blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as white flowers and subtle background oak is followed by a full-bodied, voluptuously textured, multi-layered wine that is stunningly lush, with sweet, sweet tannin and beautiful purity and length. This excellent wine can be drunk early on or cellared for another 25 or more years.
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Wine Spectator
A bold, dense, expressive style that packs a punch, while also exhibiting grace and balance. The core flavors of blackberry, freshturned earth, licorice and tobacco show harmony. Ends long and tannic. Best to cellar this. Best from 2020 through 2032
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.