Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Malbec,2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A juicy red for the vintage with plum, dark chocolate and hints of vanilla on the nose and palate. Full body, chewy tannins and a medium finish. Well done for 2011. Needs to soften with bottle age: Try in 2015.
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Wine Enthusiast
With just a handful of Merlot, this wine is dense and juicy, exhibiting warm layers of black currant and blackberry around old-school tobacco and tar. Medium bodied, the dusty tannins are well integrated and finely calibrated, giving the wine an age-worthy profile. Cellar through 2019. 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.