Winemaker Notes
Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A rather bold red with blackcurrant, pine-cone and bark character on the nose and palate. Full-bodied with juicy, velvety tannins. Walnut undertones. Hints of dark earth. Mushrooms, too. Needs time to come together, but already a beauty. Try in 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 The Mark is blended of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper vineyard in Oakville, the Merlot from the Beckstoffer Orchard vineyard and the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from the Sage Canyon vineyard in Napa Valley. It was aged 22 months in 100% French Darnajou, Taransaud and Sylvain barrels. Very deep purple-black in color, it gives up serious, classic scents of cassis, preserved plums and cedar chest with touches of pencil lead, dried herbs and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is well expressed with bags of juicy black fruit and plush tannins, finishing long.
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.