Winemaker Notes
#98 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
The Founding Brothers is produced in homage to James and William Rennie the founders of the original winery on the property and images of both are portrayed on this label.
A wine with depth and concentration displaying the true character of Rutherford dust terroir. On the nose, the quintessential Bordeaux blend where both Cab Franc and Merlot are playing their part, dark cherries, green tea leaves and chocolate with hints of eucalyptus. Carries onto the palate and supported with fine, powdery tannins and a long finish.
Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This massively built wine wraps potent black fruit flavors and sophisticated spices in substantial tannins that will surely guide it to greater complexity and smoothness with time. Minerals, graphite, cloves, cedar and blackberries are layered inside a mouthfilling texture. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
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James Suckling
So pure and beautiful with perfumes and cedar as well as currants. Dark mushrooms and bark. A medium-bodied wine with dark berry, currant, chocolate, hazelnut, and fine tannins. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Better in two or three years and beyond.
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Wine Spectator
This has a good, lively mix of red and black fruit -- plum, currant, cherry -- that fills out the core, while brambly energy fuels the licorice- and roasted vanilla–accented finish. Stays grounded, thanks to a late tug of earth. Very solid for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035.
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.