Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Blacktail is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The winemaking and elevage are very similar to that of our Cabernet Sauvignon bottling; however, the expression is completely different. This is a multi-layered, dark, highly-faceted wine that tells a rich story. Black fruits, toasty notes, baking spice, and savory tones all add to the wine’s complexity. It is intense on the palate, even with its great sense of balance at the core. With this level of density it should age well for decades, and will continue to reveal layers as it opens in the bottle.
Blend: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 11% Petite Syrah, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Blacktail Proprietary Red Wine—named for the deer that abound on the property—is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 11% Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Complex scents of black cherries, subtle herb shadings and licorice mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is smooth, round and generous. This is a beauty, with delicate yet slightly bitter notes on the finish that balance out all of the fruity extract. No, it's not distinctly varietal, but it's a wonderfully polished and poised blend.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Proprietary Blend Blacktail is also terrific. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 11% Petite Sirah, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it has a beautiful full-bodied style as well as ripe black fruits, chocolate, and peppery, herbal notes, plenty of mid-palate depth, and ripe tannins that emerge on the finish. It's a beautifully layered red to drink over the coming 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
A delicious red with deep dark fruit, showing softness and freshness at the same time. It’s full and layered with round, creamy tannins and a mushroom, bark and dark fruit-led center palate. Chewy at the end with some attractive, velvety-textured tannins.
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Vinous
The 2021 Blacktail is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that shows how well those varieties work together in tempering some of the intense natural richness that seems to come so easily here. Sumptuous dark fruit, mocha, new oak and floral top notes blossom into the racy finish. This opulent wine is certainly a head-turner.
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.