Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The estate’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Old Vine is totally impeccable. The older vines (planted in 1980) and the higher amount of Petit Verdot (9%) combine to give the Old Vine considerable textural depth and power. At the same time, the delicacy of these hillside vineyards comes through in spades. Raspberry jam, cloves, crushed rocks and menthol flesh out on the powerful, grippy finish. The 2009 needs a few years, but it is striking, even today. With time in the glass, the saline notes become even more apparent. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2024.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is built to impress through its sheer power. With a little Petit Verdot blended in, which adds a floral character, it's marked by an intense flavor of ripe wild blackberries, with a dried berry quality that's suggestive of currants and a liqueur fullness, courtesy of the high alcohol. The French oak is a full 100% new, and is in keeping with the wine's volume. So rich and tannic now, it's barely drinkable. Give it at least 6–8 years in a good cellar and see what happens.
Cellar Selection
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.