Winemaker Notes
Of course, 2017 will be remembered for the multiple wildfires that broke out on October 8th. While neither the winery nor any of the vineyards were in immediate danger, the fires upended the lives of every employee at Frog’s Leap, adding uncertainty to an already hectic time of year.
In the end, they were able to ensure that the fires did not compromise the quality of our wines. This 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the blackcurrant fruit, dense palate, and dusty aromas that are classic to a Rutherford Cabernet. But this vintage will always contain something extra for a reminder of the deep roots of the vines, and the resiliency of the community at Frog’s Leap.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Frog's Leap has been a longtime champion of producing wines of excellent balance. In a world where powerful wines often gain the most adulation, this winery has never ceased making crisp wines with lower alcohols, softer tannins, and food-friendly balance. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is an outstanding wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine lets the fruit from the vines speak, and that it does in volumes. Enjoy its ripe fruit and energetic textures on the palate with a subtlety-seasoned Porchetta. (Tasted: April 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
The unusual heat spikes throughout the summer of 2017 challenged the dry-farmed vines at Frog’s Leap, but they came through it with fruit that tastes light and bright. There’s some dimpled ripeness to its red-cherry flavors, and a little alcohol warmth in the end, but the overall impression is rich and sleek, spicy and bold.
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.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.