Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the two 2015s, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Gandona is the grand vin and, as always, is all Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 21 months in 75% new French oak. It has a more flamboyant, voluptuous style compared to the more classically styled 2016 and offers loads of cassis and plum fruits, full body, building tannins, and complex notes of licorice, dried flowers, and loam soil. It’s going to evolve nicely for 20-25 years.
Rating: 96+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is very deep purple-black in color with a crushed plums, blackberries and black cherries nose with hints of dried herbs and smoked meats plus menthol and chocolate box notes. The full-bodied palate is rich, finely textured and fresh, with great purity and length.
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James Suckling
This is a little heavy with lots of dark berry, mint and chocolate character. Full body, chewy and polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs two or three years to soften.
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Wine Spectator
Combines power with purpose, offering a mix of smooth-textured dark berry flavors, spicy, cedary oak and touches of herb, green olive and gravel. Excellent, but stalls near the finish. Best from 2020 through 2032.
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.