Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Deep, extracted and loaded with fruit, this substantial and very well-constructed Cabernet mixes the sweet, creamy notes of rich oak with the slightly jammy yet lively scents of black currants in its young and fairly generous aromas. In the mouth it boasts the same exciting mix of fruit and oak as well as hints of cola, pencil lead and black walnuts. Superbly balanced and nowhere near a "ready" wine despite its obvious fruit, this one will easily reward a half decade and more of aging.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
It is difficult to find a Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon that can be drunk within ten years of its birth, but the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is seductive and sexy (generally words that cannot be attributed to a Dunn wine until about age 20). This 2001 exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, lots of loamy soil, crushed rock, spring flower, blueberry and black currant liqueur notes and a lush, pure, medium to full-bodied personality. It can be drunk now as well as over the next 12-15 years.
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.