Winemaker Notes
Entrancing aromatics of lilacs and cocoa powder, with lingering scents of black plums pulls you into the glass. Luscious and luxurious in the mouth, with a focused minerality, and accents of crème de cassis, blackberries, Luxardo cherries, and heady kirsch, with flourished of roasted Herbs de Provence, cascading into a powerful finish of finely polished tannins and a mouth filing decadence.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
With Jean Hoefliger as a consultant winemaker, there is a new emphasis on elegance and refinement. The Class of '73 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of fruit from Oakville, St. Helena, Atlas Peak, and select additional sites around Napa Valley. It consists of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak. This is a fashionable, finesse-driven Cabernet with true elegance and precision. Pure cassis and black cherry fruit are laced with tobacco and sprinkled with hints of white pepper. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins that are both present and lengthy and well-integrated. Overall, Hoefliger's tremendous effort offers excellent cellar potential.
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James Suckling
This wine is a beautiful homage to the more restrained, complex and savory Napa cabernets of the 1970s and '80s. It's elegant, focused, intricate and well balanced. A medium body and moderate tannins work with good acidity to bring out black cherry, black olive and bay leaf flavors. Drink now or hold.
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.