Winemaker Notes
The wine is a deep ruby color, with dark brooding fruit and layers of anise and dark chocolate. On the palate, it is rich, with a velvety structure and incredible lingering finish.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Terlato’s focus on Bordeaux-style red wines has paid off in the last several vintages, and this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot continues the success streak. It has ripe, spicy flavors of blackberry jam, black currant and sweet, toasty oak, and the tannin-acid structure is balanced. Still, it’s an astringent wine that needs time in the cellar, so give it at least eight years. It could age well beyond that.
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.