Winemaker Notes
Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This classically styled Napa Cabernet is big but balanced, offering savory black olive and bay leaf aromas that lead to potent, tasty black currant, mint and blueberry flavors. Silky, bracing tannins support the complex flavors, lending elegance and age-worthiness. Best from 2025-2035.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made using just 15% new French oak and blending fruit from the Sorenson and Haymaker vineyards, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Contadina is gently cedary and herbal, backed by ample cassis. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a smooth, silky feel and a lingering finish, this is a solid effort for drinking over the next decade, and it's a reasonable value as well.
Founded by Tom Burgess in 1972, the winery has been continuously owned and operated by the Burgess Family until the acquisition by the Lawrence Family in 2020. Burgess Cellars was purchased in 1972 from Lee Stewart of the original Souverain Winery which was located on the hillsides of Howell Mountain. The historic site drew some of Napa Valley's leading winemakers, including Mike Grgich and Warren Winiarski. In 2020 Steve Burgess passed the mantle to Gaylon Lawrence, upholding a 150-year tradition of family ownership. The winemaking and vineyard management teams embarked on an ambitious project; leading the way in Regenerative and Promiscuous farming in the Napa Valley in order to preserve historic vineyards and ensure the health of these vines for generations to come.
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.