Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
It's the richest and fattest of the three wines in 2010, a bold stroke of black fruit across the palate. Sweet, plummy and generously oaked, this wine's baby fat doesn't manage to completely hide its formidable structure. The detail in the tannins develops with air, in a raw silk texture and scents of conifer. Contrast that with high notes of jasmine and ginger root and the complexities begin to emerge.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
More akin to the Gravelly Meadow bottling stylistically and very successful in its own right, this bottling offers medium volume cassis and cherry notes with a slightly more evident oaky element, possibly owing to the modest drift from concentration evident at its heart. Withal, the wine shares keen focus and underlying structural sturdiness with its mates, and we have no hesitancy in recommending it highly for a place in your cellar.
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.