Winemaker Notes
Blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Impressive purity of fruit and definition with black currant, oyster shell, blueberries and slate. Graphite too. Very complex yet subtle. Full-bodied, very chewy and powerful yet polished and gorgeous. Muscular, well-formed tannins. Electric style. Best ever from here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot, the 2013 Proprietary Red is deep garnet-purple colored and displays a bold, rock-star nose of crème de cassis, Chinese five spice, iron ore, sage and bay leaves with grilled meat and tilled soil nuances plus a waft of wood smoke. Full, super concentrated, rich and powerful, this opulent beauty is built like a brick house with a solid frame and a long, mineral-laced finish.
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Wine Spectator
Spicy oak adds suppleness and a hazelnut and sandalwood character to the texture of fine-grained earth and flavors of espresso, savory berry and underbrush. Impressively delicate, balanced and refined. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2017 through 2027.
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.