Winemaker Notes
The 2021 vintage started off under drought conditions with very little rain. This led to a lower yield of grapes requiring less pruning and green harvest. A smooth and fairly uneventful summer gave small berries packed full of flavor and great structure. This should be a great vintage for those looking to lay the wines down a little longer.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
All the hallmark traits of Napa Valley's Rutherford AVA thread a clear line of intrigue through this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, beginning with dusty mineral notes, wild herbs, and cinnamon-dusted red berry fruit laced with That red fruit expression that grows deeper with a medium-bodied presence and emerging black cherry, graphite, a hint of blood orange zest, and a pop of rose petals florals, all framed by finely grained tannins that have velvet-textured edges. The ripe-fruited and sweet-spiced finish lingers for half a minute.
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Wine Spectator
This is well-fruited, with cassis and plum puree notes cruising through, backed by violet, warm loam and worn cedar accents. A late iron note helps extend the polished finish. Drink now through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.