Winemaker Notes
The nose opens with aromas of toffee, jasmine and bramble fruit with a savory hint of smoke. The palate is laden with jammy blackberry and fig preserve flavors spiced up with white pepper, clove and cinnamon. The tannins are bold, ripe and integrated, creating a lingering and mouth-coating finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very intense notes of ripe dark plums and dried plum paste with blackberry leaf. The palate has quite a juicy core of red-plum flavors, wrapped in sinewy, ripe tannins. Drink in the next five 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.