Winemaker Notes
A beautiful and diverse nose reveals red fruit atop blackberry, cassis, plum, and forest floor. The palate is full-bodied, intense, showing great energy and freshness, blackberry, scorched earth, cassis, black cherry and spice box. Ultra-silky with a mile long finish.
Blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is an opulent and rich red, with intensity and freshness at the same time. It’s full-bodied with plush and integrated tannins that fold nicely into the wine. Fleshy texture. Creamy and round-tannined. Juicy finish.
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Wine Spectator
Really well-built, with lean muscle and great form, showing cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors nicely melded with a hint of melted black licorice, roasted alder, violet and cool, dark earth. Reveals a terrific sense of polish and refinement through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc (the percentages weren't specified), the 2019 The Mark is a big, rich, dense, bruiser of a wine that's loaded with darker cherry and blackberry fruits as well as tobacco, scorched earth, cedar pencil, and leafy herbs. It opens up slightly with air and has full-bodied richness, ripe yet certainly present tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will cruise for 15+ in cold cellars.
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.