Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot,5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Shows richness and balance with blackberry and black currant character. Full-bodied, firm and silky. Tight and serious. Needs two or three years to soften.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is a much more friendly, supple, fruit-forward style of wine with loads of créme de cassis, plum, licorice and spice. This opulent, full-bodied wine is certainly going to be a big hit with consumers. It is broad, savory and pretty much everything one wants in a delicious Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Bring on the grilled meats! This wine should drink well for 10-15 years.
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.