Winemaker Notes
A vintage set apart for its perseverance and resilience, the 2021 Continuum is one of refined concentration – a resounding expression of both measured intensity and enduring vibrancy. This is a multi-layered magnificent vintage that reveals floral notes, with black cherry and wild foraged mixed berries throughout. One can perceive the chemise, sage, and bay giving a gorgeous savory expression, reflective of the natural environment that surrounds the Sage Mountain Vineyard. 2021 is a wine of incredible complexity and nuance – a wine for the ages.
Blend: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is so aromatic with blackcurrant, blackberry, graphite, iron, pine bark and orange peel. Hints of wild sage and peppermint. Seductive perfumes. Full-bodied with extremely well-integrated tannins that have great length. Elegant firmness at the finish. The quality of the tannins is some of the best I have had in a young Continuum. Seamless silk. Great finish. 45% cabernet sauvignon, 35% cabernet franc, 11% merlot and 9% petit verdot. Best after 2027.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Continuum is flat-out gorgeous, but it's not for the instant gratification crowd either. Darker currants, graphite, crushed stone, and truffly goodness all define the aromatics and it's full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, with the tannic, age-worthy style of the vintage. Count yourself lucky if you have bottles in the cellar. It will benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and should see its 30th birthday in fine form.
Rating: 98+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot, Continuum's 2021 Proprietary Red offers up slightly floral aromas, plus ample cherries and raspberries on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured, framed by fine-grained tannins that lend a silky texture to the long, elegant finish. It saw about 60% new French oak (the balance was second-use barrels), but the oak is barely noticeable.
Rating: 96+ -
Vinous
The 2021 Continuum Sage Mountain Vineyard remains quite imposing and tightly wound, but it has finally started to soften. Black/purplish fruit, new leather, cloves, chocolate, gravel and dried herbs add to an impression of virile intensity.
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Wine Spectator
This captures gorgeous flavors of mulberry, blackberry and boysenberry compote and infuses them with sparkling anise, sage and singed wood spice notes, while iron minerality and racy acidity provide ample structure, with mouthwatering cut. A distinctive version that should evolve nicely in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2040.
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.