Winemaker Notes
Blend: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Sanguine and brooding in dense layers of juicy black fruit, leather and tobacco, this is classic Napa Valley Cabernet with an elegance at its core, that’s also seamless, complex and age-worthy. From relatively cooler sites in Oak Knoll and Mount Veeder, and a cooler year too, this vintage sings for this producer, showing balance and power in equal measure. Editor's Choice.
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Decanter
Lovely perfumed nose with a great complexity from the fruits, spices and floral aromas. real freshness and elegance to balance the weight and power of the wine. a long, sweet chocolatey finish.
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Wine Spectator
Initially hard-edged, with herb, dill and cedar notes joining the dark berry, espresso and cigar box flavors. Broad-shouldered, yet with a measure of grace and finesse, ending clean, pure and focused. Drink now through 2024.
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.