Winemaker Notes
Perrarus Block 3 from the Oakville Tench Vineyard may be the most significant and extreme vineyard of the Stones portfolio of vineyards. Sharing the fence line of Screaming Eagle, the vineyard soil resembles an ancient cobblestone street of red rock and minerals like no other vineyard in the Napa Valley. Also a Clone 4 selection, this site exhibits gravelly texture with some loamy soil undertones.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 comes from a vineyard made famous by Russell Bevan in Oakville, the Tench Vineyard, which is in a high-rent district and near Screaming Eagle, Harbison, Rudd and Plumpjack sites. This is a pure red soil area, and the result is a gravelly, opaque purple wine with pure blueberry and crème de cassis notes intermixed with some loamy soil undertones, Christmas fruitcake and spice box, followed by a full-bodied, opulent wine with adequate acidity and sweet, well-integrated tannin. This should also be drunk over the next two decades.
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.