Winemaker Notes
On the nose, the wine shows dark black fruit, plum, blackberry, and cassis. The palate exhibits black fruits, blueberry, cocoa, coffee and red cherry licorice. The wine has a soft finish with a nice hint of acidity and shows a deep brooding vanillin and cocoa as it finishes.
Blend: 39% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 11% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Velvety tannins wrap around tempting dark chocolate, raspberry syrup and oak spice notes in this full- bodied, generous wine. Good concentration and ripeness on the palate lead to a lingering finish.
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.