Winemaker Notes
Accessible aromas of sun-ripened blackberries and red cherry blend with a dense core of cassis and pomegranate reduction on the nose. Playful acidity is lavishly rounded by tones of bright strawberries, muddled blackberries and huckleberries. Rich mouthfeel is accompanied by an expansive, pure fruit mid palette that trails into a broad and lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Compared to the 2015, the 2016 Red Blend offers more freshness and purity, with classy notes of cassis, damp earth, tobacco, and lead pencil shavings. Nicely concentrated, medium to full-bodied, with both acidity and tannins, it's going to develop more complexity with 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Red Blend is made up of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is broody and a little reduced to begin, opening out to reveal a core of blackberries, black cherries and warm cassis plus hints of underbrush, charcuterie, olives and yeast extract. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy textured with lovely freshness and a good core of pure fruit, culminating in an earthy finish.
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James Suckling
A straightforward, rich red with lots of ripe berry and plum character. Full and rich with layers of ripe tannins.
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.