Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Aged for 26 months in 60% new French oak. Blackberry fruit, tobacco, charcuterie, and sweet oak spices meld together on this full-bodied red, filled with sweet Bing cherry fruit, scorched wild herbs, and potent tannins that build through the finish of baking spices and cedarwood.
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James Suckling
A well-rounded, spicy and fruit-driven red with dark cherries, blackberries, wild herbs and baking spices. It’s medium- to full-bodied with sinewy tannins. Spiced and vivid, with a linear core of berries at the center and some sweet spices toward the comforting finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Cornerstone's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga comes from a single vineyard, matured 26 months in 60% new French oak (the balance is in second-use barrels). Marked by upfront scents of cherries, thyme, sage, bay leaf and vanilla, it's medium to full-bodied in the mouth, sturdy and tannic. Impressively structured for the price, it shows ample concentration and length on the finish.
Rating: 91+
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.
One of Napa Valley’s oldest wine growing subregions but last to gain appellation status, Calistoga occupies the northernmost section of the valley. Beginning at the foot of Mount St. Helena, its vineyards stretch over steep canyons and roll out onto the valley floor. The soils in Calistoga are volcanic, which means they are heavy in minerals, low in organic matter and allow good drainage for vine roots, creating less green growth and more concentration of flavor within the grape berries.
Summer days are very hot but most nights cool down with moist ocean breezes sneaking in over the Mayacamas Mountains or from Knights Valley to its northwest.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the area’s star variety with Zinfandel coming in a strong second, though the latter commands far less price per tonnage so continues to be outshined by Cabernet in vineyard acreage, save for some important exceptions.