Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Far Niente Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with an elegant perfume of mixed berries, baking spice, dried lavender and thyme open onto a full palate layered with expansive mixed berry, black tea, toasted oak and spice flavors. Focused and fresh, fine-grained tannins support the wine throughout, while the finish is silky, long and lifted.
Blend: 92.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.7% Petit Sirah, 1% Petite Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Made with grapes sourced from Rutherford, Calistoga, St. Helena, and the winery's home in Oakville that aged 17 months in French oak, this impeccably balanced and complex red is as elegant as it is emotive. Blackberry and clove-spiced cedar line the mouth, erupting with graphite and espresso. Finely grained tannins adhere to dusty plum and lavender.
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James Suckling
Refined and pure aromas of dark cherries, blackcurrants, violets and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with seamlessly integrated tannins and focused acidity, giving notes of Damson plums, graphite, mocha, dried herbs and potpourri. Very well balanced and polished.
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Decanter
A blend of 92.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.7% Petite Sirah, and 1% Petit Verdot, this wine was aged for 17 months in French oak (65% new, 35% once-used). On the nose, mineral-saline notes and pretty herbal aromas shine seamlessly into a smooth and sweet entry with a bright, herbal Cabernet lift. The ripe tannins and fresh fruit flesh provide balance and structure, producing a dry, satisfying finish. The fruit is sourced from select vineyards in Rutherford, Calistoga, and St. Helena, resulting in a polished and harmonious blend that highlights the unique qualities of each site.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe, rich dark fruits drive this wine,picking up espresso, chocolate, pine, and redwood aromas, and a finish of blackberry blossoms and graphite.Powdery-fine while abundant tannins join with a velvety texture. Spices are integrated throughout and balanced through a lengthy finish on the wine.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and expressive. This wine excels with aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, cassis, oak, and fragrant spices. Try it with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: November 6, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
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.