Winemaker Notes
Blend: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The three vintages of OV/SL are essentially culled-out lots that are co-fermented together from the Stags Leap as well as the Oakville property. It’s an intriguing idea, and Futo has certainly pulled it off brilliantly. The 2013 Futo OV/SL is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Loads of sweet earth and a dusty, tannic mouthfeel that reminds me of a high-quality St.-Estèphe are offered up in this opaque purple-colored wine, which has plenty of blackcurrant, black cherry, licorice and graphite. It is full-bodied, moderately tannic and, like so many 2013s, it has begin to shut down ever so slightly. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25-30 years.
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.