Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Two terrific wines from Dalla Valle, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon (a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc) from their hillside vineyards in Oakville, exhibits a dense purple color along with a beautifully sweet perfume of cedarwood, creme de cassis, incense and spice box. Full-bodied and rich with gorgeous purity and texture as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel, it still has some tannins to shed and tastes like it is only 4-5 years old. It has at least two decades of life ahead of it.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Enthusiast
What a treat. This is the quintessence of Oakville Cab, with an impressively firm structure, ripe tannins, smooth, supple mouthfeel and long, spicy finish. And what fruit! Scads of rich cassis, chocolate and oak, yet thoroughly dry.
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Wine Spectator
Impressive for its core of rich, chewy currant, blackberry, wild berry and cedary oak flavors. It packs a wallop, too, with its dense, chewy tannins, but on the finish the fruit pours through to reveal lots of depth and complexity.
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.