Winemaker Notes
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Firm tannins mark this young Cabernet, as well as a dense girding of minerals. Together with the dryness, these make it fairly austere. But a molten core of spicy blackberry flavor bodes well for the future. Cellar until at least 2018. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Plenty to admire in this taut, focused effort, with dried dark berry, mineral, blueberry and sage notes on a medium to full body. Well-proportioned, ending with a burst of blueberry fruit. Drink now through 2021. 5,235 cases made.
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.