Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The best wine of the group, and it’s really a killer effort, is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Ardore. This shows beautiful blueberry and blackberry fruit, floral notes mixed with graphite, toast and forest floor. It’s full-bodied, opulent and shows the fabulous focus and density of this vintage. I’ll look forward to tasting these out of bottle next year.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Wine Spectator
A classy effort that offers rich layers of dark berry, mocha, cedar and gravel notes, with a measure of finesse and refinement, a hybrid of California and Bordeaux. Drink now through 2028.
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.