Winemaker Notes
97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, the very deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled prances out of the glass with gorgeous black cherries, molten chocolate, licorice and warm cassis scents plus underlying notions of candied violets, cigar box and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses great elegance and bags of poise with wonderfully ripe, plush tannins framing the perfumed black fruits, finishing very long and layered.
Rating: 97+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
A wine that incorporates 3% Petite Verdot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled is a beautifully classic, elegant red that has ample blackberry, cassis, crushed rock, and graphite aromas and flavors, full-body, beautiful balance, and the purity of fruit that's the hallmark of this vintage. It will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and drink nicely for 15+. It's a thrilling, complete Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that does everything right.
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Wine Enthusiast
Sourced from the Martin Stelling Vineyard behind the winery, this is classic Napa and a gorgeous celebration of the variety. Blended with 3% Petit Verdot, it offers notes of red fruit, turned earth, graphite and anise, with a light toasting of oak to balance. It finishes lush and succulent in feel.
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Wine Spectator
Solidly built, with a well of cassis and dark plum fruit forming the core, featuring mouthwatering mineral, savory, tobacco and menthol streaks throughout. Delivers weight and freshness. Best from 2020 through 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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.