Winemaker Notes
86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The impressive 2007 exhibits an opaque purple color as well as abundant aromas of sweet red and black currants, kirsch, spice box, licorice, and toasty new oak. Full-bodied, big, structured, and layered,it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring. Winemaker Christopher Carpenter has again turned out a wine that should evolve for 25 years. Impressive.
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Wine Enthusiast
A darkly colored, tannic Cabernet whose dry astringency keeps it from being thoroughly enjoyable now. Despite the astringency, however, it showcases an immaculate core of blackberries and black currants. Elegant and classy, it should age well throughout the decade. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Potent and well-built, offering a mix of pure, ripe blackberry and currant, with touches of smoke and cedar and rich, chewy tannins. Best from 2014 through 2025.
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.