Winemaker Notes
Lady of the Dead is a homage to the Frias heritage and family. This Cabernet-heavy blend is a serious step up from the debut release in intensity and quality. We start with a bouquet of red fruits, cinnamon and spice. The wine then coats the palate with notes of lush burgundy plums and blackberries. Concluding with balancing sweet tannins, this Lady is ready to be taken seriously.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2017 Lady of the Dead Red Wine is an interesting blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Syrah. It’s another beauty that boasts a deep purple color, medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and Cabernet notes of cassis, blackberries, spring flowers, and graphite. I’d be hard-pressed to find the Syrah in this beauty, but I suspect it’s responsible for the plusher, more rounded, mouthfilling texture. Drink this terrific value over the coming 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Syrah, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Red Blend Lady of the Dead delivers expressive spice cake, baked plums, blackberry pie and blackcurrant pastilles scents with touches of hoisin and cigar box. Full-bodied, the palate is coated with wonderfully spicy fruitcake layers and textured with chewy tannins, finishing with great persistence. 1,005 cases were made.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.