Winemaker Notes
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A fabulous effort, Gemstone’s 2001 is a 642-case blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Proprietor Paul Frank (a former jeweler, hence the name) has turned a great winemaker loose, resulting in a powerful, rich red with a French-like elegance and complexity. Its deep purple color is accompanied by a sweet, complex nose of spice box, creme de cassis, anise, and white flowers. Dense, full-bodied, restrained, and perfectly balanced, this beauty can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years. Kudos to proprietor Paul Frank.
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Wine Spectator
A smooth, rich and creamy style, with pretty mocha, blackberry and currant flavors that are intense and concentrated, gaining amplitude and ending with firm, tight tannins and a touch of cedary oak. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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.