Winemaker Notes
An intensely deep, ruby red color offers complex aromas of earthy sagebrush with garrigue-like floral notes to dark cocoa nibs and baked cassis-cherry compote. There are subtle notes of black tea, roasted pecans and brown Muscovado sugar. The palate is broad and expansive with chewy mineral-like tannins lingering on the finish. There are flavors of baked dark cherry, cassis and blackberry as well as chocolate toffee and black tea bergamot notes on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackcurrants and blueberries with dark graphite and ink. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, linear tannins that run the length of the wine. There’s a brightness and energy to this that give tension and focus. Racy at the end. Give this three to four years to come around. A beauty. Best after 2027.
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Wine Spectator
Dense and sappy, displaying a well of kirsch, blackberry, boysenberry and mulberry preserves that unfurls steadily, laced with notes of apple wood, anise and black tea along the way. There's a pinpoint feel to this red, with its silky yet tensile structure supporting the deft, suave finish as late flashes of sassafras and iron peek out. Very much its own wine. Best from 2025 through 2045.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Elevation 1147 is dense and packed to the core. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petals, sweet spice and new leather fills out the mid-palate. The Elevation 1147 stands out in this range for its rich fruit and equally imposing structure.
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.