Winemaker Notes
This powerful, yet harmonious wine is defined by aromas of rosewood, dried orange peel, lavender and cola. Gorgeously textured fruits abound — black currant and blueberry mingle with earthy flavors of dusty chocolate, dark-roast espresso and sandalwood incense on the palate. The long finish is supported by soft, silky tannins and accentuated by a spice box of cinnamon and tobacco.
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Tastes important right off the bat, although obviously young, with tannins hard as nails. New, smoky oak dominates, with themes of ripe concentrated blackberries and cassis. Needs time. best well after 2013, and should develop for years beyond.
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Wine Spectator
Robust and potent, with ripe, dense blackberry, licorice, lead pencil, cedar and roasted herb flavors that are full-bodied and concentrated, all the while holding onto a tight focus and ending with a long, chewy, persistent finish. Best from 2013 through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The beautiful 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is more complex with a more opulent texture, full-bodied richness and plenty of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with cedar, spice box and Asian spice. Drink this opulent 2007 now and over the next 15+ years
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Here is the kind of wine about which controversy has suddenly sprung, for while it is high in oak and very ripe, it is also a deep and wonderfully well-structured wine. It will have spears hurled its way by those who drink nothing other than high-acid, low-alcohol wines, but, make no mistake, this noteworthy bottling has the complexity, the fruity substance and the layered interest that makes fine Cabernet famously prized, and it is balanced to grow for another decade or more.
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.