Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A balanced and silky red with a dusty texture and plenty of dark fruit and chocolate undertones. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. A blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc. Very attractive now but better in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Gandona Vineyards Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon is very deep garnet-purple in color with a lovely red and black cherries, black berries and mulberries nose with hints of bay leaves, yeast extract and Bovril. Medium-bodied, fine and fresh with lovely open-knit fruit, it finishes long.
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Wine Spectator
Easy to like, offering an introduction of creamy oak and berry flavors, yet this quickly firms and flexes tannic strength, ending dry, savory and chewy. Best from 2019 through 2030.
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.