Winemaker Notes
DB4 immediately dances from the glass with aromatics of fresh red and blue fruits, rhubarb and menthol. Very lively and electric, the profile exhibits this freshness and is laced with notes of forest, wet river rocks and a dusting of cocoa. The palate is concentrated, refined and elegant, and gives way to a balanced and polished finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The blend this year is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It was aged in French oak, 79% new, and bottled in July 2019. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Proprietary Red DB4 strolls nonchalantly out of the glass with soft-spoken scents of baked plums, blueberry compote and black currant cordial plus wafts of potpourri, fragrant earth, cinnamon stick and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has compelling mid-palate weight with bags of black fruit preserves and a sturdy frame of grainy tannins, finishing with lovely freshness.
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.