Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Also terrific, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select offers a touch more toasty oak and graphite as well as awesome notes of caramelized cherries, cassis, and leafy herbs. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, opulent, yet fresh and lively, with no sensation of heaviness of coarseness, this perfectly balanced 2015 can be enjoyed anytime over the coming two decades or more as well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select displays a deep garnet-purple color with a very pretty nose of lilacs and roses over a core of cassis, blueberries and black cherries with hints of baking spices and dusty earth. The palate is rich and generous, with perfumed fruit framed by fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long.
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.