Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A strong performance by Far Niente’s 2001 revealed a wine with lots of incense, black currant, sweet cherry, plum sauce and loamy soil notes along with a hint of smoky oak. The sweet, broad, expansive mouthfeel, full-bodied texture, impressive purity and long finish suggest this Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon has hit its peak where it should remain for another 10-15+ years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Well made and classic, a wine that combines potency of fruit and firm tannins with a graceful harmony that makes it easy to drink tonight. Oak adds smoky vanillins as an additional theme. As fine as it is now, the wonderful balance ensures longterm aging through the next decade.
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.