Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby with immediately compelling Californian Napa Cabernet Sauvignon aromas of sweet black currant and chapparal, with a rich seam of red fruit, almost sanguineous and ferrous. There is also a gorgeous oak component along with clove, nutmeg, and cedar. The palate is rich, full bodied, with a beautiful combination of both savory fresh herbs and ripe concentrated black fruit. The tannins are present, with Rutherford siltiness from the Rutherford bench. This is extremely youthful right now; it would benefit from ageing to temper its slightly brooding nature. But decanting for an hour before serving, and pairing with food, will deliver a lovely drinking experience now – just remember to buy at least two bottles so that you have one to put away. Enjoy with lamb dishes, steak, liver. Also lovely with herb-infused vegetable dishes like risotto, casseroles, and hearty soups.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
This sultry red's magnetic charms show through a velvet mouthfeel and a curvaceous, gracious body built to perform. Blackberry ganache, anise, new leather, dusty graphite, and clove-spiced cedar reveal its expressiveness in layers.
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Wine Enthusiast
A velvety, seamless texture and subtly layered fruit, spice and cream flavors make this rich and full-bodied wine practically irresistible. Generous red and black cherries, dark plums, light vanilla and nutmeg accents fill out the expansive frame of this luxurious wine. Best–2030.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.