Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Still youthful and potent, this is very rich and concentrated, with layers of currant, black cherry and blackberry fruit that's well-defined. This is still quite tannic, yet it's deftly balanced, finishing with a long, persistent finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, concentrated, dense ruby/purple-colored wine. Full-bodied and muscular, it exhibits copious quantities of black currant fruit intermixed with blackberries, minerals, cedar, and Chinese black tea-like notes. The tannin is sweet, in a vintage where this component can be slightly coarse.
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.