Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Beautiful and sophisticated, the black-fruited 2013 Duckhorn Vineyards Discussion delivers outstanding all-around aromas and flavors. This wine hits all of the touchpoints that a Napa Valley Bordeaux blend should show. Its richness and luxurious finish would pair it well with a well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: November 26, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
2013 was a great year to be a cabernet grape in California,” said Josh Thomas of SF’s Octavia when he tasted this wine, a blend of 61 percent cabernet sauvignon, 25 percent merlot, the balance cabernet franc and petit verdot. It brings a Right Bank style to Napa Valley, with merlot making the tannins approachable, providing impressive oak integration and richness (after 18 months in barrel, 95 percent new, it spent another six months in neutral oak). The flavors are dark and juicy, completely savory in their supple, fruity-dark-chocolate richness.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.