Winemaker Notes
The Palate of the 2015 Trailside is the essence of what has made Rutherford one of the most sought after appellations for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. Subtle tart and ripe red fruits with an unmistakable opulence and approachability can be found in waves throughout the 2015. The wine concludes with savory winter herbs of English thyme and bay laurel that carry for remarkable length.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A rich and layered red with a full body and soft, round tannins. Lovely bayleaf and rose petal undertones. Chocolate and coffee. Denser palate. Plenty of length, but framed nicely. So drinkable but better with age. One for the cellar. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Features a perfumed profile, with singed vanilla and red tea notes flashing first, followed by a supple-edged core of red currant, plum and cherry preserve flavors. Subtle mineral and sage elements underscore the finish, which shows a fine-grained texture and good persistence. A refined 2015 that should age well. Best from 2021 through 2035. 2,340 cases made.
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Vinous
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard is a powerful, deep wine, but it is also starting to show some lightly oxidative notes. Dark red cherry fruit, white pepper, iron and rose petal emerge from the glass. There's good energy and brightness, though, which means the 2015 might stay at its current plateau of maturity for some time. Even so, I would not push my luck on aging.
Renowned for crafting Napa Valley's first cult wines, Heitz Cellar is globally recognized as the crown jewel of American wine. The timeless post-Prohibition style of winemaking endures with esteemed winemaker, Brittany Sherwood, producing elegant and balanced wines sourced from 100% organic and biodynamic Napa Valley fruit. Pioneering pure varietal, single-vineyard wines that can age for decades, including the iconic Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Heitz Cellar wines hail from the region’s most premier vineyard sites including Oakville, Rutherford, Howell Mountain, St. Helena, and Oak Knoll. Family-owned since its founding in 1961, Heitz Cellar continues to embody the artistry and legacy of classic winemaking with single-vineyard wines that position it as one of the world’s leading wine estates.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.