Winemaker Notes
This 2017 Signature Mountain Blend barrel aged in 90% New French and Hungarian Oak is once again a delectable representation of what their Estate Rockwell Ridge Vineyard (blended with Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill, & Atlas Peak fruit) can produce. 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, this limited case production is the closest wine in their program that could be called an “Estate wine” with most of the blend coming from their very own Rockwell Ridge estate vineyard (located 35 feet below the Howell Mountain AVA). Claimed by the critics as a “beautiful wine that “...explodes from the glass”, and dubbed by many over the years as “The Petrus of Napa Valley”.
Blend: 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 1% Petite Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming all from the estate property on Howell Mountain, the Bordeaux blend 2017 Signature Mountain Blend has a perfumed, floral, incense, vanilla, and violets tinged bouquet that’s supported by plenty of blue fruits. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has good acidity, a firm, tight, compact feel on the palate, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age but is certainly a beautiful wine. Give bottles a solid decant if drinking anytime soon.
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James Suckling
Aromas of iodine and oyster shell with a stony edge, too. This has fresh and attractive red berries and blueberries on offer. The palate has a suave tannin texture with shimmering tannins and a long, dark-berry finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Signature Mountain Blend is composed of 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, coming from Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill and Atlas Peak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes from the glass with bombastic redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, mulberries and baked plums scents with suggestions of camphor, cast-iron pan, cedar chest, pencil lead and lavender plus a touch of underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs in the red and black berry flavors, supported with soft, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note.
Rating: 92+
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.